Green-Eyed Monster
by ToujoursMiraculous
Summary: After Captain Hardrock, Luka enters the picture, stirring up all sorts of feelings! Will Luka interfere with the Love Square, or will Adrien finally realize Marinette is the kind of girl he should really be interested in?
1. Chapter 1

**I just had to start a new fic, as if I don't have enough ongoing already. My apologies to my readers, I promise I'll finish them up!**

 **I may add in characters and adjust chapter length as I go along, but not by much. I don't expect this to be a long-running fic at all.**

* * *

Alya swung by the bakery the next morning to chat with Marinette briefly before school. She claimed in her text that morning that her reason for showing up was because she worried about her friend's attendance record, but it was really because she knew of a surprise that day at school, and wanted to make sure Marinette showed.

"How's Marinette The Compass this morning?" Alya teased first thing.

Marinette rolled her eyes with a small smile. "We talked about this, Alya."

"I know, but I think it's quite possible that two statues can drive you crazy."

Marinette just sighed.

"I saw the way you were looking at Luka, M. And I saw you two after you broke free from those chains... there was chemistry there," Alya hesitated, expecting her friend's response.

"Alya!"

"There's nothing wrong with that, you know," she looked at her friend seriously. "I know you've been feeling down about Adrien lately. That he doesn't show up to gatherings. Even though it's not his fault he hasn't been able to come to them..."

Marinette sighed again. "I know that it's not his fault. But that's not the only reason I've been down, I-"

There was a pause. Alya tilted her head to the side. "Go on, what is it, girl? You know you can tell me."

Marinette swallowed before sitting down. "I overheard him telling... someone... that he thinks of me as 'a very good friend'. I'm just a friend to him, Alya. I know I should be happy with that, but instead it...it bothers me," she admitted. "Then when nothing seems to work out right with him, and I have such a difficult time even getting a few sentences out, it just feels like... like I told you yesterday, maybe we're meant to stay away from each other."

Alya gave her friend a sad smile, and wrapped her arms around her. "What about Luka, then? Why not give him a chance?"

Marinette's eyes widened a moment before they darted away.

"He seems to really like you. I know it might feel wrong right now, but this could be good for you. Why don't you see where things go with him? And maybe Adrien will get some sense knocked into him in the future and see just what he's missing out on?" her tone was teasing as she elbowed Marinette slightly.

Marinette smiled and gave her friend a slight nod.

"Can we go to school now? I promised Nino I'd meet him before class starts."

Her smile grew wider. "Wouldn't want to disappoint your boyfriend."

The girls ran downstairs and Marinette told her parents goodbye.  
They were greeted in the front of the school by a crowd of girls who were surrounding someone.

Marinette and Alya glanced at each other in confusion for a moment.

"Are they surrounding Adrien again?" Alya laughed with a slight shake of her head. "That poor boy hates the spotlight."

"Maybe? Though I thought the hype from the fragrance ad had died down a little..."

"We should help him," Alya suggested.

The girls pushed through the crowd.

"Your piercing is so cool!" they heard a girl cry.

Alya and Marinette shot each other a glance. Definitely not Adrien, then.  
When they had broken through, they stopped as they saw who was getting all the attention.

Luka was standing there looking slightly uncomfortable down at the girls that were bombarding him.

"Are you a new student here?"  
"How do you get your hair to look like that?"  
"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Luka?" he heard a familiar voice say. His head turned towards the sound, and his features relaxed when his eyes confirmed who it was.

"Marinette," he breathed with a smile that touched his eyes.

"Need some help?" she offered with a giggle.

"Please," his tone pleading slightly.

"Everybody clear out!" Alya shouted at the crowd. "Leave the poor guy alone."

Nino and Adrien watched from the stairs as Marinette and Alya broke up the crowd.

"So is Luka going to be attending our school now?" Adrien asked curiously.

"Yeah, for some reason after our concert yesterday, he told his mom he didn't want to be home-schooled anymore and that he wanted to attend school here, with Juleka."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "He was home-schooled?"

"It was his choice to be. That changed overnight it sounds like. I've gotten to know Luka a little, and he's actually got some things in common with you, dude."

"Hmm," was all he said as he watched the girls disperse.

Marinette walked back up to Luka. "What are you doing here?"

"I go here now," he announced with a grin.

"Y-Y-You do?! Really?"

"Uhh, I'm going to go meet up with Nino, see ya in class, M!" Alya winked before heading up the stairs.

"They seem to be getting along quite well," Nino pointed out once Alya had joined them. He shot a look at his best friend.

"I'd say. I guess he knows that Marinette designed Jagged Stone's album cover. I heard him mention it to her when I walked up here."

All three looked down at the two talking animatedly with each other. Luka then pulled out something, along with a pen and handed it to Marinette, who wrote something on it and handed it back.

"Did she just give him her autograph?" Adrien joined in the conversation.

"Looks like it. That dude sure seems to have it bad for Marinette," Nino whistled. "It's about time somebody paid attention to her."

Alya and Nino both side-glanced at Adrien, who continued to watch the pair at the bottom of the steps.

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked, his eyes not drifting away from their target. "They're just friends, right?"

Nino just pat his friend on the shoulder. "We're going to class, see you."

Adrien had thought Luka was a nice guy when they met, and cool, too. But for some reason, the thought of him, the sight of him, now made him feel irritated. Why this was, he had no idea. But it bothered him.

Luka and Marinette walked up the stairs, still into their conversation.

"Hey Marinette," Adrien greeted her. Marinette turned her head slightly.

"Oh hey, Adrien," she gave him a small smile briefly before her attention was focused back on Luka.

"The more I learn about you, the more amazed I am. You're incredible! You really made that?" Luka chuckled.

Adrien trailed behind them quietly as they walked up the stairs to the classrooms.

"Believe me, it wasn't easy," she laughed.

"You're like a superhero, you know? Ladybug and Chat Noir are great, really. Especially what they did to help my mom out yesterday. But you - there's just something about you that brings you to their level."

Marinette's face went scarlet. "R-R-Really? You're comparing me to Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Luka chuckled again. "They do incredible things, I know. But it's you who truly amazes me, Marinette."

Marinette couldn't believe her ears. Nobody had ever praised her - as Marinette - so much before.

"This is you, right?" he motioned towards their classroom. "Pretty sure this is my sister's class, anyway."

"Y-Y-Yes, it - it is," Marinette stuttered. "Where's yours?"

"On the other side of the building, I'm a grade ahead," he informed her. "I'll come see you later when I get the chance," he touched her shoulder before walking off.

Marinette wasn't aware that Adrien was lingering behind her. He watched Luka walk off with a scowl on his face.

Slowly, she walked into the classroom, leaving Adrien alone in the now empty hallway.

"Ooh, what's this?" Plagg teased.

"Not now," he ordered, shooing Plagg back into his jacket before following Marinette into the room.

* * *

 **Please let me know your thoughts and feelings about this fic with review, favorite, and follow, and what you think of Captain Hardrock and Luka!**

Follow my tumblr: toujoursmiraculous

I admit that I love Luka, and I ship Lukanette. But I _also strongly_ ship Adrienette and the Love Square! I think Luka will be a very good thing for Marinette to experience, to grow, and help her have a healthy relationship with Adrien in the future! Adrien also needs to start recognizing Marinette and let go of Ladybug a little


	2. Chapter 2

The last bell rang for the day, setting the kids free from another long day of learning.  
Marinette stood up and stretched, a small yawn escaping her mouth.

"Do you guys want to hang out today at my place?" Adrien offered suddenly. "I have some time off today."

Nino looked over at Adrien excitedly. "Really? You sure your old man would be okay with it?"

"I think it's about time my father accepted that you guys are my friends. Anyway, he's already met you all. And he's been a bit...nicer to me lately. Might as well test it out."

Alya glanced at Marinette. "What do you think?"

"Sure, I-"

"Marinette," Juleka mumbled as she approached the group. "My brother's looking for you," she pointed towards the door.

All four teens glanced over at the doorway. Luka was standing there like a model out of a punk rock magazine. He nodded his head in greeting as four sets of eyes turned towards him.  
Then his blue eyes drifted to Marinette's and the corners of his mouth went up.

Marinette froze in response to his expression, not realizing her friends were now staring at her, waiting for her to react.

"Aren't you going to go talk to Luka?" Alya whispered in her ear after a few moments.

"Ah, right! Yeah," she laughed nervously, swiftly picking up her bag. She almost stumbled upon walking towards the door, but managed to catch herself before any damage had been done.

Adrien propped up his arm and rested his head on his hand as he watched them talk in the doorway.

There it was again. That uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, that burning in his chest. He clenched his jaw as he fought the urge to look away.

When Marinette suddenly began walking back towards Adrien, he sat up immediately, his muscles relaxed as she drew nearer.

"Adrien? Is it okay if Luka joins us?" she asked him, looking back towards Luka. "I told him I already agreed to hang out with you guys, and well..." Adrien noticed she looked... sad? Oh, no. He didn't like that look on her. Not at all.

"Sure Marinette, Luka can come, too," he peered around Marinette to give Luka his nod of approval.

"Adrien and I will go ahead, you three can come a bit later," Nino's tone hinted something, causing Marinette and Alya to shoot him a confused look. It took one look from Nino for Alya to realize the hidden message behind it. I need to talk to him.

"Come on, girl, let's go to the bakery and get some food to bring over to Adrien's," Alya suggested, grabbing her arm and tugging her along.

Once Luka, Alya, and Marinette had left, Nino sighed and turned to his friend.

"You know you're my best bud, right?"

"Yeah, and you're mine," he replied. "What's up?"

Nino adjusted his cap. "Are you okay?"

That caught him by surprise. "I'm fine, why?"

"Something about you seems...off. Ever since Luka-"

Adrien's eyebrows flickered for a fraction of a second. However, it didn't get past Nino.

"That!" Nino pointed at Adrien's face. "Just mentioning him seems to get a reaction from you, even if only subtly. Are you - are you jealous of Luka?"

Adrien was silent for a moment. "No," he answered. "I'm not."

His best friend laughed. "You sure? Do you even know what jealousy feels like, bro?"

"Of course!" Adrien blurted out, only to regret it a second later.

"The only girl I've ever known you to like is Ladybug. Are you jealous of Chat Noir, then?"  
Adrien looked away. Although he most certainly wasn't jealous of himself, not that Nino would even know that, there was someone that his lady had feelings for, and it wasn't him. As much as he didn't want to, he couldn't help but wish the boy she had mentioned to Chat Noir was himself. Despite knowing it was a really bad idea, he couldn't help but lie awake some nights since her confession, wondering who this mystery guy was. He wondered if he was treating her the way she deserves as her civilian self. If this guy appreciated her. If he even knew that the most amazing girl in the world loved him. These were the nights before school that Adrien would come to school looking especially haggard, but he always used modeling as an excuse to his friends if they'd ask, and a very important school project to Nathalie and his father.

"Adrien, you don't even know who Ladybug is under the mask. She has another life that you and the rest of Paris don't know about. She has her friends and her family, a completely separate life from Ladybug. Ultimately, she's a celebrity, man. Celebrity crushes are cool and all, but they'll never turn into anything. There comes a point where you have to let go of them."

Hearing the words, as right and true as they were, still felt like his heart was being torn in two, as if made with paper.

He put on his best model smile and turned back to his best friend. "I know. Thanks for the talk, Nino."

"Anytime you need me, you know I'm here for you."

Adrien genuinely smiled at that. "Could you wait for me out front? I need to grab something from my locker before we leave."

"No prob," Nino patted Adrien on the shoulder and left.

Plagg poked his head out from Adrien's jacket. "You okay, Adrien?"

Adrien simply shrugged.

Plagg's ears drooped. "Want to hear what I think?"

"Couldn't hurt."

"I think Nino has a point about Ladybug, but I also think that you shouldn't give up on her completely. Like you said before, things could change in the future. You're Chat Noir and not just a random civilian to her, you're her friend. Things can change. And that's the point, that's the _future_. You need to live in the _present_ and worry about what's going on now. You know, like that Luka kid."

"I don't have a problem with Luka," he denied.

Plagg groaned. "I know you, kid. Deny it all you want. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. Now can I have some Camembert, please? It's been a long day, and I'm starving!"

"Hey Mom, hey Dad!" Marinette greeted her parents as she entered the bakery, Luka and Alya tailing behind. "We're going to Adrien's in a bit to meet up with him and Nino. Is it alright if I bring a few pastries?"

Tom and Sabine's eyes lit up at the mention of Adrien.

"You're going to Adrien's, huh?" Tom asked. "I like that kid."

"Oh Tom," Sabine playfully and lightly smacked him. "Of course, sweetie. We'll make some fresh croissants for you to bring over."

"Thanks Mom!"

Her parents noticed Luka standing a few feet behind the girls.

"Who's this, Marinette?" Sabine asked.

"Oh, this is Juleka's older brother, Luka. He started attending Collège Françoise Dupont today."

Luka took a few steps forward. "Ma'am, sir," he greeted politely.

"Nice to meet you, Luka," Tom greeted back. "Help yourself to a pastry."

Luka smiled at Tom, grabbing one of the pastries he offered. "Thank you, sir!"

"It's always nice to meet one of Marinette's friends," her mom added before giving Marinette a look that went right over her head.

"We're going to go upstairs for a bit before we head out, okay? Let me know when the croissants are ready!" Marinette and Alya headed for the door in the back of the bakery and Luka followed.

"Nice place," Luka commented as he admired their living room. He spotted a photograph of Marinette with her parents over on the bookshelf and smiled.

"I say we play some Ultimate Mecha Strike III," Alya suggested, plopping herself onto the couch. "But I should warn you, Marinette was school champion, she even beat Adrien."

"I had no idea you played video games, Marinette," he sat down next to Alya. "Much less my favorite game. Would you mind playing me?"

Marinette picked up a controller. "You might regret it," she warned.

"Ohh, came to play, I see. Bring it on, Marinette," he beamed at her.

Her mind went blank for moment due to his smile. Then the sudden roar of the music from the video game caught her attention, and she was reminded of her goal.

Marinette was surprised to have finally found a worthy opponent in Luka, but he was still no match for her.

"MARINETTE WINS" popped up on the screen after a few minutes of relentlessly pressing buttons.

"I see your reputation precedes you," he commented. "I should've known. Can't say I'm disappointed I lost, though."

"Kids, the croissants are ready!" Sabine's voice called up to them from downstairs.

The kids filed out of the apartment and down into the bakery. Alya received a text from Nino partway down, saying they got the go ahead for them to come over.

"Here you go. Also, please give Adrien some of this," she handed her a small blue bag. "I know he enjoyed it the last time he was here. Don't forget to remind him to come visit soon, he's always welcome here!"

"Oh, okay." She took the other bag that was sitting on the counter. "Thanks Mom," she kissed her mother on the cheek. "We'll be leaving now!"

After they left, Sabine glanced at the door, looking mildly concerned.

* * *

 **Thank all of you who have left kudos and comments, I really appreciate every one! I'm glad to hear you're liking the story so far and hope I can continue to intrigue you enough to keep coming back for each new chapter. c:**


	3. Chapter 3

Luka and Alya joined Nino on Adrien's large couch immediately after they arrived. Nino had started playing the latest video game before they showed up and the music drew them in. Luka started giving him tips with gameplay, since he had the chance to play the game already and knew a trick or two.

"Here," Marinette held the blue bag out to Adrien as she walked in the room. "My mom wanted me to give this to you, and to remind you that you're always welcome to stop by our house," she said with a tinge of red on her cheeks. "Only if you want to, of course."

Adrien's eyes sparkled with wonder as he looked down at the little bag. He reached out and took it, opening it immediately.  
The smell of spinach and meat pie overwhelmed him the second the bag was opened. He closed his eyes and focused on the delicious aroma a moment. Adrien then quickly shut the door behind him and closed the bag again.

"I'm saving this for later," he said with a sheepish grin and a wink as he stowed it away out of sight. "Tell your mom I said thank you, and that I'll certainly stop by soon."

Marinette returned his smile and nodded. "Sure, I'll let her know."

The two teens joined their friends in what turned out to be two hours of destroying each other in video games. Taking a break from the virtual carnage, Nino and Adrien drifted off to another part of the room. Alya joined them after a few minutes to give Marinette and Luka some time together.

"I wanted to give this to you," Luka said as soon as Alya left them alone, handing over an earbud while putting the other in his ear.

She was greeted to the same song Luka had played for her right when they met, only it was much longer.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, her eyes closed as she listened to every strum of each string. The melody was sweet and calming, and reminded her of the sea. There was also an air of sadness to it, a sadness she associated with Adrien.

Luka pulled out a CD from his jacket pocket. "Here. So you can listen to it whenever you're feeling the way you did the day we met, so it can put a smile on your face."

"Thank you," she took the CD and put it in her purse with Tikki.

Adrien glanced over at the two on the couch, listening to music together. Adrien glowered in their direction. Marinette looked his way and the shock of seeing such an expression on his face caused her to squeak. "Oh! Look at the time, I have to get going," she rushed out, getting to her feet.  
"I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer," she apologized to Adrien as she made a beeline for the door.

"It's okay, it is getting late," he shrugged. He had to meet Ladybug in fifteen minutes so he was going to send everyone home anyway.

"Here, let me walk you home," Luka offered Marinette, standing happily by her side, ready to leave.

"Sure," she glanced back at Adrien again. "Thank you for having us over," she suddenly smiled so genuinely and bright, his breath caught in his chest.

"Uh, of course. See you guys," he waved after them until the door was shut.

"C'mon, Plagg."

"What's so urgent? Don't I get a few minutes to eat some cheese before you meet up with Ladybug?" he whined.

"Not today. I need to watch over Marinette."

"Ooh, catching on, are we?"

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked with innocent curiosity.

Plagg let out a long and annoyed sigh. "Nevermind. You're getting there, that's what matters. Alright, if you must..."

"Plagg, claws out!"

Chat Noir quickly jumped out of the window and swung his baton to land on top of the building ahead of him. He needed to be stealthy, hopping across the buildings as to not draw attention to himself as he followed Marinette and Luka.

 _What am I doing?_ the thought hit him out of nowhere, causing him to stop in his tracks. _Why am I following them? I shouldn't. Don't do it. Don't..._

He was worried though. He wasn't sure exactly why, but he knew seeing her make it home would ease his anxiety. After a few seconds of internal debate: "Just this once," he mumbled to himself.

With a grunt, he was off again. He perched himself up onto the balcony he had set up his suppose-to-be dinner date with Ladybug. He glanced down at the street below as Luka and Marinette approached the bakery.

Luka took Marinette by the hand, the sight caused Chat to huff, exasperated.  
"I'll see you tomorrow," he gave her hand a squeeze. Then he leaned in, to both hers and Chat's surprise, and gave her a single kiss on the cheek.

Chat's cat ears drooped at the sight. He knew Marinette was more than just a friend to Luka now, and maybe she saw Luka as more than just a friend, too. Because he had stood just like that with Ladybug not that long ago, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, too. One that didn't say his feelings for her were "just friends".

 _"You need to live in the_ present _and worry about what's going on now. You know, like that Luka kid."_ Plagg's words echoed in his mind. His Kwami knew it before he did. He was so blinded by Ladybug, that he brushed away his feelings for Marinette and pinned everything he felt for her down to them being friends.

It shouldn't have taken him seeing her with another guy for it to hit him, but it was definitely the wake-up call he needed. Oh, if only he could've realized it before! Clearly, perception was not one of his strong suits. Not counting the fact that his costume enhances his senses, this meant nothing if he didn't have the ability to put two and two together.

As soon as Marinette was safely in her house, and Luka on his way home, Chat headed towards today's meet-up spot with Ladybug.


	4. Chapter 4

Adrien tossed and turned that night, thinking about everything that had taken place.

Luka liked Marinette. And _he_ liked Marinette. Just how much he liked her, he wasn't sure of yet. This was all new to him, and although he knew his lady had feelings for somebody else and thought of him only as a friend, he still couldn't help feeling slightly guilty about this new revelation.

For awhile, he thought about how it made him happy whenever Marinette was bubbly and happy, how talented he thought she was, and it wasn't just her designing skills that made him think that, either. He admired her for her bravery that she showed whenever there was a problem, be it during akuma attacks or even if that problem was standing up to Chloe, who he'd never admit could actually be pretty terrifying. Adrien recalled all the times Marinette had helped him out or was kind to him, the most recent being when he wanted to escape his fans and bodyguard and just have some time to himself to see his mother's movie. She put up with a lot that day because of him and what he wanted. She was pretty selfless.

Then he thought about the brief time Luka's been in their lives, and the obvious affect it has had on her. They had gotten close very quickly, but he didn't know the reason why. Was it the way he dressed or his good looks? No, he quickly dismissed the thought. Marinette would never be so shallow as to only go after someone for their appearance.  
If appearance wasn't it, then it must be his personality.

He was cool, certainly. And friendly. But what else?

 _"The more I learn about you, the more amazed I am. You're incredible! You really made that?"_ The memory came at Adrien so suddenly, his eyes grew wide with surprise.

 _"You're like a superhero, you know? Ladybug and Chat Noir are great, really. Especially what they did to help my mom out yesterday. But you - there's just something about you that brings you to their level."_

 _Adrien trudged behind them, hanging on every word. He noticed Marinette seemed a bit uncomfortable, and what he could see of her face was tomato red._

 _"R-R-Really? You're comparing me to Ladybug and Chat Noir?"_

 _Luka chuckled. "They do incredible things, I know. But it's you who truly amazes me, Marinette."_

 _"But it's you who truly amazes me, Marinette,"_ echoed in Adrien's mind over and over.

Oh. OH!

Adrien sat up so abruptly, disturbing Plagg who was curled up right next to him.

"What gives?! I was asleep!" a grumpy voice cried in the dark.

"Sorry! I just figured out why Marinette seems to like Luka so much."

"Did you now?" he yawned. "Great. You can tell me about it in the morning," he curled back up in a little ball.

"Wait," Adrien insisted. "If I don't talk about this with someone, there's no way I'm getting any sleep tonight, and I'm sure you won't want a sleepless Adrien tomorrow."

Plagg groaned. "Okay, okay. Tell me then, why does Marinette like Luka?"

"I think it's because he makes her feel special by complimenting her. Sure he's kind and cool and all, but I think that's what has her particularly interested in him. I remember my mom was always especially happy whenever Father would give her a compliment."

"Good boy, Adrien! Glad to hear you figured that bit out. Now goodnight."

"I just don't understand. I've complimented her several times before..."

"Just putting this out there," the cat Kwami cleared his throat. "But what if _she likes you?_ "

Adrien blinked. "What? No way, I think I'd know that."

"Okay, whatever you say."

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Do you think she likes me?" his voice filled with hope.

Plagg moaned. "Oh for the love of cheese!" he exclaimed before he burrowed himself under the pillow. A few grunts later and he was comfortable again, ready for sleep.  
He had a chance, he thought to himself. But he certainly wasn't going to do anything about his feelings now. First he wanted to really know more about them. But more importantly, he wanted to figure out her feelings and her relationship with Luka.

His timing wasn't very good, but he convinced himself that even if she was with Luka right now, that could change.

Adrien finally drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.

"Didn't sleep last night, Marinette?" Tikki asked her early the next morning.

She groaned as she lifted the pillow off of her face. "No, I didn't."

"What's bothering you?" her Kwami asked her sweetly, hovering by her head.

"Lots of things, I guess. Adrien's been acting kind of strange lately. That glare yesterday didn't really seem like him at all. And Luka, everything's so new with him, and I'm not sure how to feel about it yet... but what's been bothering me the most is Chat Noir," she confessed.

"Chat Noir?" Tikki repeated. "Why?"

Marinette sat up, clutching the pillow to her chest.

"When I met up with him yesterday, he just looked so sad. I thought maybe it could've been what I said to him, but we've spent time together since then and he's been fine. So I'm wondering if something new happened to him..."

"Why not ask him about it?" suggested Tikki.

Marinette sighed. "I can't, because whatever is wrong probably has something to do with his personal life. You know we can't talk about things like that, Tikki."

She reached for her alarm to turn it off before it began blaring.

"We're friends, but it's such a limited kind of friendship that we have," she shook her head and ran her hand through her hair. "I can't do for him the same things I can for my other friends. I really don't like that I'm not able to help him with anything, unless it's involving an akuma."

Marinette looked down at her lap, her eyebrows scrunching up with distress.  
She sighed after a few moments and hoisted herself off her bed.

"I promised Luka I'd meet him at school in 20 minutes," she announced, getting changed.

Twenty minutes later, Marinette was out the door, heading to school.  
She stopped when she saw Luka, and her mouth popped open when she saw who he was talking to.

"Chat Noir?" she looked down at Tikki with immense confusion. She ducked by the stairs as not to be seen.

"Why would he be talking to Luka?" Tikki wondered aloud, taking a peek at the two boys.

"I don't know," she looked back towards the boys. "But something tells me it's not a casual chat."

After a couple of minutes, Chat Noir left. Marinette came out from behind the stairs.

"Luka," she greeted with a small wave. "What was Chat Noir doing here?" her tone mildly curious.

Luka examined her expression a moment before he answered. "Oh, it was nothing serious. Do you know him? On a more personal level, I mean."

"Ah, no, not really. We've spoken a couple of times because of akuma attacks, but that's it," she replied, her voice a little too high. Luka's eyebrow quirked up with curiosity a moment.

"I see. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go out tonight?"

Marinette blinked. "What?"

"We could go to a movie or concert or something?" he suggested. "Whatever you'd be up for."

"Oh. O-Okay," she stuttered slightly, her cheeks turning pink. Luka chuckled.

"I'm fine with anything, as long as you're there," he took her by the hand and led her to the stairway to sit. "How about movies and ice cream?" he suggested.

She smiled shyly. "That sounds really nice, Luka."

In class during break, Marinette was doodling in her notebook when she heard someone say her name.

"Hm?" she looked up. A pair of bright green eyes and a brilliant smile greeted her.

"Ah!" she jumped back in her seat. "Oh, Adrien, you startled me!"

"Sorry," he said apologetically. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. I - I shouldn't have been spacing out in class, even if it is break time."

"I was wondering if... if it'd be alright to stop by your house for a visit today?" Adrien asked timidly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, uh, I'd love for you to come over, but... I'm going out with Luka tonight."

"No way, girl! You're going out with Luka?!" Alya shrieked suddenly, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth. Nino glanced at his friend who looked as if the wind had just gotten knocked out of him.

"Yeah, he asked me when I met him on the school steps this morning."

"I see, well maybe some other time then," Adrien said, his model smile appearing again before he turned around in his seat.

Marinette and Alya started chattering about her date behind him. Not wanting to hear anymore, Adrien grabbed his bag and left the room. He still had several minutes left of break and just wanted to spend it alone.

He headed for the lockers, not paying attention to his surroundings as he went, lost in thought.

Luka was on his way downstairs when he spotted Adrien looking depressed. At first glance, he instinctively wanted to call out to him, but then it dawned on him why he was so miserable. Luka shot a look towards Marinette's classroom, then back at Adrien, before he sighed and continued down the stairs.

When Adrien walked back into the classroom, Alya's phone began to buzz.

"Looks like an akuma's out there wrecking havoc again," she sighed. She wanted more than anything to be allowed to become Rena Rouge again. Once you get a taste of the superhero life, you never want to give it up. Especially when you've always wanted to be one. But Ladybug trusted her to do the right thing in giving the Miraculous back, and she wasn't going to let her down.

"Right, forgot to take a bathroom break before class started again. I better hurry," Marinette rushed out the door.

"Tell Mrs. Bustier I went to my locker. I forgot my textbook," Adrien said once she was gone, and he too ran out the door.

Alya stared at her phone, waiting for updates.

"My friends are crazy," Nino stated with a shake of his head.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you okay, Kitty? You're starting to worry me," Ladybug joined Chat Noir, who escaped the scene of the akuma attack as soon as it was possible, despite not being forced to leave due to his Miraculous.

Chat was sitting with his legs curled up to his chest, his cat ears nearly flat on his head, as he overlooked the city.

"I just got some bad news today, that's all," Chat tried shrugging it off.

Ladybug sat next to him, looking over at the same part of the skyline Chat's gaze was fixed on.

"I know you can't talk about details," she started, the breeze picked up and one of the ribbons in her hair brushed his cheek. "But if you can talk about it at all, I'll be here to listen. And if you can't talk about it, I'll sit here with you until you feel better."

Chat's ears perked up slightly at her offer. He turned to his lady who was enjoying the view of their beautiful city, and the corner of his mouth went up a fraction. "Thank you for being here with me, m'lady."

Ladybug ran her hand through Chat's thick, blond hair, as if she was petting him.  
"Always," she said with a smile. "I just wish there was more that I could do to help you."

Chat closed his eyes. "Just you being here is enough."

Marinette made it home after a long day of school and akuma fighting, which was certainly made worse by her lack of sleep.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," she greeted them as she walked through the door.

"Did you have a good day at school, Marinette?" Tom asked, a stack of baguette's in his arms.

"It was fine, a little tiring though," she replied, setting her bag down.

Sabine handed the last customer in the shop the baked goods they ordered. "Doing anything fun tonight?"

"Oh! Uhh," her eyes darted away from her parents. "I'm going out with Luka."

Tom and Sabine froze in place, Tom's baguette's bounced onto the floor. "Luka?"

"What about Adrien, sweetie?" her mother asked, worry ringing in her tone, once Marinette's words had registered with her.

"We're just friends, Mom," she shrugged, her eyes not meeting her mother's. Sabine and Tom gave each other worried glances. "Anyway, I'm going to go to my room and rest for a bit before Luka gets here."

"Alright," her mom said cheerfully. Once Marinette had left the bakery, "Oh Tom, you don't think something happened between those two, do you? She's liked Adrien for so long now, I can't imagine she'd stop so suddenly."

"I'm sure if there is something going on, it'll all work itself out in due time," he assured his wife. "They are only teenagers after all, they have time to work things out."

Luka stopped in a couple of hours later to pick Marinette up.

"Where are we going first?" she asked.

"Movie first, and then ice cream. At Andre's maybe?" he suggested, but Marinette's concerned face made him take the suggestion back.

"Sorry, I just feel like picking out my own flavors tonight," she giggled.

"It's cool. It's probably better this way, since we'd have to track Andre down. What's your favorite flavor?" he nudged her playfully with his shoulder as they walked. She nudged him back.

"Mint chocolate chip. What's yours?"

"...Mint chocolate chip."

She shot him a disapproving look.

"Okay okay, I honestly don't have a favorite. My favorite is whatever I'm up for at the time, and tonight, it's mint chocolate chip."

Marinette grinned. "So, what movie should we see?"

"Do you have any preferences?"

"Anything but horror. I hate horror movies," she shuddered.

"I understand. I actually find them amusing though," he smirked. "Most horror films are kind of cheesy in my opinion, I'm always able to figure out what's going to happen, so they have no affect on me."

"I'm not surprised, you're good at figuring things out," Marinette commented, brushing some of her hair behind her ear.

They waited in line in front of the theater for twenty minutes to buy tickets.

"Sorry, everything's sold out but White Out," the ticket salesman informed them when it was finally their turn. "Would you like two tickets to see it?"

"Ah, no-" Luka started, his hand reaching for Marinette's.

"It's okay," Marinette interrupted.

"Are you sure, Marinette? You don't like horror. We can do something else instead of a movie."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Just like you said, they're kind of cheesy anyway," she laughed nervously. "Two tickets, please!"

Within the first few minutes, Marinette was cringing in her seat. After half an hour, she had her face buried in Luka's chest. He rubbed her back soothingly, and whispered assuring words to her to comfort her. He asked several times if she wanted to leave, but she just shook her head.

"I think that was our first and last horror movie together," Luka said as he led Marinette out of the theater.

Marinette just nodded, her face slightly pale.

"Let me take you somewhere so you can calm down, okay?" he held out his hand for hers.

"Okay," she breathed, taking his hand.

They walked out of the theater, the sun having already set. He led her down the bright Parisian street, passing people as they went.

"I think this is more your style."

Luka brought Marinette to a beautifully lit garden, with a gorgeous fountain. The aroma from the flowers and other plants and the atmosphere the scenery provided, instantly began to calm her down.

"This is breathtaking!" she gasped. "I already feel a lot better." She marveled over every little flower and plant, the way the lights were strung up above them, and the glow of the sculpted water fountain.  
Luka chuckled. "Why don't we go get our ice cream and bring them back here?"

"A-alright," she agreed, her eyes still glued to the garden.

The ice cream parlor wasn't far, nor was it busy. They were back at the garden after only a few minutes.

"I'm sorry about being so freaked out earlier," she began to apologize.

Luka put his arm around her shoulder. "You have nothing to apologize for. I admit that movie was even a little creepy for me. I should've insisted we leave and do something else. I'm the one who should apologize."

"It's okay, really. It led us here, so I'd still consider it a success." She began shuddering after taking a couple of bites of ice cream.

Without a word, Luka shrugged his jacket off, and wrapped it around her.

"Let's get you home, it's starting to get late and I promised your parents I'd have you back soon."

On the way home, they talked about their hobbies, their favorite things, and their families. They laughed and joked and teased each other. Before they knew it, they were approaching the bakery.

"Thank you for taking me out, I had a really good time," Marinette smiled up at Luka as they stood in front of Marinette's door.

"The movie didn't ruin it?" he teased.

Marinette laughed. "Not at all."

"I'm glad. Would you like to go to the Jagged Stone concert with me on Saturday?"

Her face lit up, "Yes! I was actually hoping to go! We can meet him if you want."

"Really? We can meet Jagged Stone?"

"Of course! I've sort of done a few favors for him, so I don't think he'd mind meeting one of his biggest fans with me."

Luka's eyes lit up, a huge grin spread across his face. "We'll talk about it more at school tomorrow. I should let you go in before your parents start worrying."

"Thank you again, Luka," she smiled widely at him, starting to turn to the door.

His expression shifted at the sound of her saying his name. It becoming more intense, but still gentle.

"Marinette?" his tone complimented his expression. She turned back around to face him and his eyes locked onto hers. Blue met blue, and suddenly Marinette could feel her heartbeat in her chest and her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes trailed down his face to his slightly parted mouth.

Luka slowly leaned in. Instinctively, she shut her eyes as he drew closer, anticipating him.

His soft lips caressed hers, her thoughts were completely focuses on him. She responded to his kiss as her hand reached out to hold his.

Sudden headlights from a car driving past broke them away from their moment, causing Marinette to jump.

"I should go in," she whispered. Then she recalled she was still wearing his jacket. Quickly, she shrugged out of it and handed it back to him.

He tossed his jacket over his shoulder with one hand, and held her hand with the other.

"Goodnight Marinette."

She smiled so widely back at him, her cheeks were starting to hurt. Looking down at the ground shyly, she replied, "Goodnight."


	6. Chapter 6

**For those that like to listen to music that inspires fanfiction and their chapters, here are a few songs I listened to while writing this chapter:**

 **Certain Things by James Arthur, Tell Her You Love Her by Echosmith, and Euphoria by BTS (especially this one).**

* * *

"So, how was it? I want details!" Alya asked Marinette the second she sat down in her seat in class. Marinette had been running particularly late that morning and almost didn't make it to school on time, so as much as Alya wanted it, there was minimal time to chat before class.

"Ah! What? How was what?" she asked nervously, fidgeting slightly in her seat.

"You know, your date?" Alya reminded her. Adrien turned his head very faintly at the mention of the word 'date'.

Marinette laughed nervously. "Oh right, that. Well, we went to see a movie..."

"Uh-huh."

"They were sold out for every movie but White Out..."

Alya's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You saw a horror movie?! Oh girl, didn't you tell Luka you're afraid of them?"

Adrien shook his head in disapproval.

"I did before we got to the theater, it was actually me that insisted we stay and watch it. He insisted we do something else."

"Oh Marinette," she tsked her. "I didn't know you wanted to spend time with him that much! What else?"

Marinette started removing things from her bag. "I was pretty freaked out, so to calm down he took me to this garden. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, absolutely breathtaking, and we got some mint chocolate chip ice cream while we strolled through the garden."

"How sweet, Luka's pretty romantic, it sounds like," Alya pointed out. "So then what happened?"

She hummed a moment, "On the way home we talked about all sorts of things, and then-" she abruptly cut herself off as she replayed what ended their date the night before. She glanced at her best friend for a split second before swiftly looking elsewhere in the room.

"Then what, girl?!" the redhead pressed.

Marinette bit her lower lip, and her face began turning a nice shade of pink.

"...No. No way!" Alya half-squealed.

What? WHAT? Adrien screamed internally. What happened? What was Alya getting so excited about? He felt like his heart had just been kicked into overdrive.

"Luka kissed you, didn't he?"

Marinette nodded her head faintly.

"Ah, I knew it!"

Adrien's racing heart suddenly came to a halt and sunk to his stomach.

"Alya!" Marinette scolded, glancing around the room, hoping nobody was listening to their interaction. She glanced down at Adrien who, from what she could see, didn't seem to be listening and let out a small breath of relief. "Keep it down, please, I don't want to make this a big deal."

Alya was grinning from ear to ear. "But it is a big deal! It's your first boyfriend, and your first kiss!"

Marinette made a face when she heard 'your first kiss' that wasn't lost on Alya.

"Luka wasn't your first kiss? Girl, what secrets are you keeping from me? I'm your best friend, you have to tell me these things!" she demanding, sounding almost hurt.

Adrien's fist clenched on his desk, his jaw tightening.

Mrs. Bustier walked in, Nino right behind her, drawing the attention of some of the students.

"Oh look, Mrs. Bustier is here!" Marinette pointed out, sounding desperate for a distraction. She shifted her focus on her teacher, her expression determined.

Alya sighed and stopped trying to get anymore information out of her... for now.

Silently, Adrien got up from his desk and walked out of the room.

"Is something wrong with Adrien?" their teacher asked the class.

Nino looked towards the door and then back at Mrs. Bustier. "Probably just a bathroom break," he shrugged, hoping to cover for his best friend who looked really down as he passed.

Adrien threw the bathroom door open, the echo reverberating around the room. After a brief check, he discovered that nobody else was there and let Plagg out before he fell backwards against the door and sunk to the ground.

"Adrien?" Plagg asked, his voice small.

"Why does it hurt so much, Plagg?" he mumbled. "When Ladybug told me there was another guy, it hurt, but not this much. I was able to stay positive about it, but with Marinette..." Adrien's brows furrowed, his clenched fist shaking.

Instinctively, Plagg wanted to make some remark about choosing cheese over girls, but the expression on Adrien's face snuffed that desire out.

"Let me be serious for a minute," the cat Kwami said, hovering next to his head. "Besides the compliment thing, what has Luka done differently from you?" Plagg didn't give him enough time to respond. "His focus is on her. She can tell how much Luka likes her by his actions, it's not just his words."

"How do you know?"

"I've been around for millennia, Adrien. I've had to deal with plenty of boys and girls who had love problems like you. I may not care to talk about it and get all...emotional," he said the word as if it was dirty. "But I've been exposed to it enough to know how you humans think."

Adrien let his words sink in.

"You've been so focused on Ladybug that you haven't been seeing Marinette. Not fully," he went into Adrien's pocket and pulled out the lucky charm Marinette gave him.

"She gave this to you, and you hold onto it because she's important to you. You told Marinette that you take it with you wherever you go, but she gave it to you to bring you luck, so she probably assumes that's the only reason you never let that thing out of your sight. Marinette should know the reason why, now that you know how you feel about her."

"But Plagg," he began to protest, "I don't want to do anything that'll interfere with her and Luka. She'd never forgive me for that."

Plagg's bright green cat-eyes burned into Adrien's. "Just be her friend, kid. Make time to spend with her. Be there for her when she needs you. Make the effort to show her that you care. You don't have to cross the line to let her know how you feel. But whatever you do, don't run away from this, kid, you're better and stronger than that."

Adrien gave him a small smile and let out a chuckle. "Don't tell me one of the past Chat Noir's ran away?"

"A few did, yes."

Adrien sat up. "What happened to them?"

"...Let's just say I know for a fact that things would've worked out in their favor had they had the courage to stay. You have to stay and fight for her, Adrien." 

* * *

**I had technical issues yesterday and couldn't get a chapter up like I wanted to.**

 **As always, _please_ let me know what you think/feel about this chapter! Also, I'd like to know how you all would feel about me extending this fic to 10-15 chapters? I want to make sure I do a solid job with this fic and wouldn't want to rush it.**


	7. Chapter 7

Adrien walked back into class, feeling much better than he had when he left. Although the information he overheard made his insides squirm whenever he'd think about it... or picture it... he was fiercely determined to be the best possible friend he could be for Marinette. That was his sole focus.

"Everything okay?" Nino whispered as Adrien sat down.

"Yeah, everything's cool," he threw his friend a crooked smile, and turned his attention onto Mrs. Bustier.

"Uh, Adrien?" came an unsure voice behind him. Mrs. Bustier had just called for a break so they were free to talk and get up to stretch.

He turned around. "What's up, Marinette?"

"Sorry about yesterday, but if you still want to come over, I'm free the next couple of days?"

Adrien's eyes lit up. "Really? Would you mind if I come by right after school, then?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. But uh, are you sure you have the time to?"

Adrien chuckled. "Don't worry, I just have Chinese and piano lessons after school." Then he looked around, making sure nobody else was in hearing range. He leaned towards Marinette slightly, cupping his hand around his mouth. "Just between me and you, I sometimes fake my lessons."

"You do?" her eyes wide with shock. "You fake your lessons? No way."

"Really, I do. Every day after school, there's some lesson I need to learn or practice. I almost never see my father unless he's unhappy with me about something, so I'm mostly always alone in my room. It gets really boring and repetitive after awhile doing the same stuff over and over, so sometimes I fake it and do something fun instead."

Marinette noticed the tone he used was light, and accepting of the way things were, but the words he said, as she pictured them, made her heart hurt. She looked up at his warm smile and bright green eyes.

"Like my mom said, you're always welcome to come by and visit," she reminded him, wanting to make sure that if he needed to get away from his big, empty house, that he had somewhere to go that would welcome him.

"Thanks Marinette."

After school was over, Marinette met up with Luka on the way out.  
Adrien watched them, from a distance, chat for a minute before Luka gave her a quick hug and a wave goodbye.

"Is Luka joining us?" Adrien asked as he approached her.

"No, he has something to do for his mom. He said he'd like to hang out with you sometime soon, though."

"Ah, yeah, that would be fun. Anyway, ready to go, then?"

Marinette nodded, and the two headed over to her house.

"I've been hoping for a rematch in Ultimate Mecha Strike III," Adrien said on the way there. "I've been practicing."

She laughed. "Is that why you're so anxious to come over? So you can defeat me at video games?"

He laughed with shrug of his shoulders, stuffing one of his hands in his jeans pocket.

Adrien and Marinette walked through the Bakery entrance, the jingle of the bell above the door and smell of freshly baked pastries greeted him.

"Hi sweetie, how was school?" her mother asked, having only taken a brief glance up and didn't notice she wasn't alone.

"Good. Adrien's here," she pointed out.

Sabine quickly looked up from what she was writing. "Oh, Adrien! It's so nice to see you here!"

"I always love coming here, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. Thank you for inviting me."

"Anytime!" Sabine looked tickled pink seeing Adrien with her daughter. "Uh, is Luka joining you two?"

"No," she replied simply. "He's doing something for his mom, so it's just us. We're going to go play some games, okay?"

"Sure, I'll bring you up some snacks in a bit, or have your father do it when he gets back from his deliveries."

"Okay, thanks Maman," she kissed her mother's cheek before they headed upstairs.

Marinette set her bag down by the door and went to the television to turn on the game. Adrien followed.

"Here you go," she handed him a controller and sat down on the couch.

At the start of the game, Adrien saw the high scores of everyone that had Marinette's copy of the game.

Marinette was, unsurprisingly ranked first. Though second place caught him by surprise.

"Luka played with you?"

She let out a small laugh. "He did. He's really good, but still wasn't able to beat me."

Adrien raised his eyebrows, determination flashed in his eyes, and a smirk spread across his face.

"I'm ready when you are," he said, hungrily eyeing the screen.

Only moments into the start of the game, Adrien was doing outstandingly well, catching Marinette off guard. She glanced at Adrien with shock and a bit of fear as he began to surpass her, but she wasn't going to let that happen.

After the end of the first round, Adrien and Marinette tied. She just blinked at him in shock for a moment, before the next round started.

Two rounds later, and they were still tied.

"How...?" she began to say, but she was so stupefied that someone actually tied her, and thrice no less, that she didn't even know what to say.

"Like I said, I've been practicing," he reminded her, looking proud. "Also, I'm pretty sure my Marinette lucky charm helped," he winked, patting his pants pocket.

"Then why didn't mine work for me?" she made a face, almost pouting.

Adrien's breath caught in his throat. "You... you keep it with you?"

"Ah, o-of course," she said, blushing a little. "You gave it to me, after all."

He beamed, pulling out the lucky charm bracelet, and then motioned for hers.

"What?"

"Can I see your bracelet?"

"Sure..." she reached into her pocket and pulled the blue and yellow trinket out and handed it to him.

"Hold out your hand."

Marinette obeyed. He wrapped the charm around her wrist before putting his on himself.

"There," he said, "Our good luck charms slash friend bracelets."

She laughed, playing around with it on her wrist. "Are you really going to wear yours around though? It's pink."

"That's true...think I can pull it off?" he said seriously, then a grin worthy of Chat Noir spread across his face.

The front door opened before Marinette had the chance to respond. Tom walked in with a plate full of food. "Want some snacks, kids?" he said brightly.

Adrien stood up, breathing in the smell from the food. "That smells so good!"

"Thanks Papa," she said, reaching for a pastry.

"Would you be able to stay for dinner, Adrien?" Tom offered, setting the plate down on the table.

"Thank you for the offer, sir, but I actually should be leaving. Though I was wondering, is it okay if I come back tomorrow?"

Tom glanced down at his daughter and then back at Adrien. "If Marinette's free, we'd love to have you come back."

Adrien looked over at Marinette. "Oh, uh, yeah, that'd be fine," she played with the bracelet on her wrist.

"We'll see if I can beat you tomorrow," he smiled another smile worthy of Chat. She smiled back at him, but she couldn't help the slight sadness in her eyes, as he reminded of her friend and partner. The last time she saw him, he was pretty sad about something, a look she wasn't used to seeing on him. She wondered how he was doing since that day she stayed with him while he calmed down.

"Thanks again for having me, and for the food," Adrien ate the rest of his pastry, then picked up his bag. "See you tomorrow!" he waved as he headed out the door.

Marinette was left in the room with her father, who was looking down at her, the question he wanted to ask most written all over his face.  
She sighed. "I'm going to go do my homework, Papa," she announced, grabbing her bag and heading up the steep staircase to her room.

Tom chuckled once the door latched. "Just a matter of time."


	8. Chapter 8

The next day after school, Adrien was back at Marinette's. This time, he managed to finally surpass Marinette, much to her dismay. But she couldn't help but smile at how happy he was when he finally won.

After eating their snack, Marinette suddenly gasped. She shook her head with her palm on her forehead and groaned.

"What's wrong?" Adrien's smile vanishing and worry setting in.

"I forgot I have to get this jacket Mrs. Césaire asked me to make for her done by the end of the day tomorrow!" she leaped out of her seat, heading for the stairs.

Adrien looked slightly confused. "But you still have a day left, why are you panicking so much?"

Marinette stopped on the first step. "Because I'm going to the Jagged Stone concert with Luka tomorrow, so today's pretty much all the time I'll have to work on it," she rushed up the stairs to her room.

He followed her and entered her room, watching her zip around her room to get the necessary tools and materials for her project. "Ah, I see. Well then, need some help?"

"Are you sure? It's probably really boring to you, since you have to be around fashion all the time. And I'd mainly have you help with minor, little things..."

Adrien chuckled. "Trust me, I won't be bored. Just tell me what you need me to do!" he saluted playfully.

A couple of hours later, Adrien was called to come home.

"I'm sorry Marinette, but I have to head home now," he sighed, looking down at his phone.

She looked up from her work. "It's okay, I'm honestly surprised you were able to stay as long as you did. You helped me out a lot, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't helped."

"Good luck getting the jacket finished on time! Also," he paused for a second. "Have fun with Luka at the concert tomorrow," he wished her softly.

"Thank you, Adrien," she shot him a beautiful smile before her attention focused back on to her work that filled him with both happiness and pain. He hovered by the door for a few seconds, one corner of his mouth shifting upwards before he headed down the steps.

Hours later, Marinette was getting the details of the jacket put together when she received a text.  
She picked up her phone and smiled with a shake of her head when she saw who sent it.

 **Adrien [22:24]:** How's the jacket coming along?

 **Marinette [22:25]:** I'm almost finished with it, actually! Just a few more details left.

 **Adrien [22:25]:** Awesome! Don't stay up too late, you wouldn't want to be a zombie during Jagged's concert tomorrow.

 **Marinette [22:39]:** Just finished! And you're right, I wouldn't want that. That's why I'm going to bed now. Good night!

 **Adrien [22:40]:** Good night, Marinette.

Adrien sighed as he fell back onto his bed. He looked at their brief conversation for half a minute before he set his phone by his pillow and closed his eyes for the night.

The next morning, Marinette awoke to a beautifully sunny day. She was eager to go to another one of Jagged Stone's concerts, and she was excited to have Luka along with her. She looked forward to him meeting his biggest idol.

She got ready for the day and ate her breakfast. Mrs. Césaire would be arriving to pick up her jacket after she was off of work, which meant Marinette had to be home by then. As she always did with her creations, she overlooked her work to make sure there was nothing wrong, and that she hadn't forgotten any details. Some of her anxiety was lifted once she inspected the jacket again and found no flaws or missing details.

Now to focus on her date with Luka, she thought.

The concert was being held outside, under the Eiffel Tower. The sun was especially bright, the crowd lively. There was a buzz in the air that Marinette couldn't quite place, but it made her feel happy and energetic.

Luka held Marinette's hand as he guided her through the screaming crowd until they reached the front.

"This is my first Jagged Stone concert!" he shouted next to her. "The atmosphere is fantastic!"

She laughed, "Isn't it?! And just wait until you meet him!"

The crowd started cheering, drawing Marinette and Luka's attention to the stage. Jagged Stone had just walked on, waving at the crowd.

"Hello everybody!" Jagged shouted into the microphone. "Are you ready to hear some amazing tunes?!"

The crowd answered with screams and cheers.

"Ah, I see my favorite little lady is here with us today!" he announced, pointing into the crowd. He waved at Marinette, her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. "You can thank her for my amazingly rockin' album cover, she was the one who designed it. How about a round of applause for Marinette!"

Everyone looked in her direction, applauding her. She hid behind Luka, embarrassed.

After the concert, Marinette went backstage with Luka.

"Jagged Stone!" she called, waving him over.

"Marinette! It's always rockin' to see you! Did you like the show?"

She giggled. "Of course! Anyway, I want to introduce you to one of your biggest fans."  
She looked over at Luka, who was staring at Jagged, his mouth slightly open in awe.

"Luka?" she nudged him.

He blinked. "Oh! Nice to meet you, Jagged Stone. It's an honor to meet you, you and your music has greatly inspired me," he shook his hand nervously.

"He plays the guitar," Marinette added.

"Do you now? I'm staying at the Grand Paris Hotel for the next few days, why don't you and Marinette stop by soon and we can jam out?"

"Really?!" he beamed, his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Of course! I don't offer such things to just anybody, and you're friends with Marinette. I'll see you soon," he winked at them both and went off to speak to some other people hanging around the stage.

Luka and Marinette left, heading to a nearby park.

"Thank you, Marinette, I never would've met him if it weren't for you, and I definitely wouldn't be playing anything with Jagged Stone!"

"It was nothing," she shrugged. "I have a few minutes still before I have to get home. Alya's mom is picking something up and I need to be there when she gets off of work."

Luka smiled and pulled her along to a grassy area out in the open. He lied down and patted the space next to him. She scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion for a moment before she lied next to him.

He reached out his hand for hers, and they looked up at the sky.

"Have you ever taken the time to watch the clouds before?" he asked.

Marinette glanced at him and then back at the sky. "Not really, no."

"It's nice to do something like this every once in awhile, especially after something as crazy as a concert. Notice the shapes they become, the way the wind blows them, giving them that misty look?"

She smiled. "They're really pretty. Definitely picture-worthy."

He sat up then, and she did the same. He felt the beads from her bracelet brush against his wrist and looked down to see what was causing the sensation. "What's this?" he gave the beads a closer look, his hands gently holding each individual one.

"Oh, a friend gave it to me for my birthday," she said.

"It's a very unique gift," he said, continuing to look at them. "But it must be special to you for you to be wearing it," he looked back at her with a smile.

She just nodded.

"Now it's my turn to thank you for today," he started. "Meeting Jagged Stone has been a dream of mine for years, so it meant more than you'll ever know. Especially because you were there with me," he gave her a warm smile before he leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Marinette."

She blushed and then sighed. "I should go. See you later?"

"I'll call you tonight," he said.

She got up off the ground and waved goodbye. Marinette had only a few minutes to make it home in time for Mrs. Césaire. In the time it took to make it home, her thoughts were filled of Luka, his joy at meeting Jagged, his words in the park, and the gentle kiss on the forehead he gave her that made her heart beat fast.


	9. Chapter 9

Chat Noir and Ladybug met up for their regular patrol, but Chat was bored with the same old routine.

"Is it okay if we patrol a little differently today?" he asked her when she arrived.

"How so?" she wondered, sounding skeptical, putting her yo-yo around her hip.

Chat grinned his usual toothy grin. "How 'bout a race? From here to the Arc de Triomphe, and then circle around and come back here? Not only will we have a little bit of fun, but we'll cover more area than we usually do."

"Hmm, alright," she flashed a grin back at him. Chat almost did a double-take. He was at least 90% certain she'd turn it down.

"Ready?" she asked.

Chat snapped out of his shock and got into position. "Set..."

"Go!" they both dashed towards the Arc de Triomphe.

Ladybug swung over the streets of Paris, and ran over a few buildings when she found shortcuts. Chat Noir catapulted himself over buildings, throwing himself up into the air. From bystanders and passersby, it looked like he was doing acrobatics above the city.

She reached the Arc de Triomphe first, but not by much. Chat Noir was determined to beat her back, however.

Chat Noir flung himself in front of Ladybug, causing her to land on the street in order not to crash into him.

"Hey Chat Noir!" she cried. "That's cheating!"

She could hear him laughing, and threw her yo-yo especially hard up ahead, hoping to catch up. Halfway there, Ladybug caught up. She pulled Chat's baton away a bit, causing him to lose balance.

"Whoops!" she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Who's cheating now?!" he called after her. She was already a couple of buildings ahead.

Chat Noir ended up finishing first, Ladybug just trailing behind.

"You cheated," she pointed out.

"So did you!"

"I did so I could counter what you did!"

They looked at each other for a few moments before bursting into laughter.

Ladybug was happy to see him looking upbeat and perky again. "So does this mean you're feeling better, Kitty?"

"I am," he answered. "What I was upset about... that hasn't changed, but my Kwami gave me some good advice, surprisingly, so I feel more hopeful now."  
"That's good, I'm glad your Kwami could help you. But... doesn't he always give you advice?" she looked puzzled.

Chat Noir laughed. "No, Plagg's more into cheese and being a pain. He doesn't really do emotions."

Ladybug felt extremely lucky then to have a Kwami that continuously guided her, giving her advice and making her feel better when she was down. She also felt bad that her partner didn't have the same kind of relationship with his Kwami. She had always assumed he did...

"Can I ask you something?" he said, breaking Ladybug out of her thoughts. She made a face. "Oh, don't worry, it's not identity-revealing or anything like that. It's just... I've been curious about something."

She sighed, "Okay."

"I know fighting Hawk Moth's akumas is serious business, but you take everything way too seriously. You have a magical suit that lets you swing around above the city, yet you don't seem to enjoy it. Why is that?" he rested his head in the palms of his hands, his attention fully focused on Ladybug.

"Oh..." she pondered it a moment. "Well, I guess it's because I'm afraid to make mistakes. I'm afraid that if I fail in any way, the people I care about will get hurt. Because of that, I can't feel at ease when I'm transformed. Everyone looks up to me and relies on me so much, and I can't let them down."

Chat sat up, his ears lowered slightly, his mouth turned down and his eyebrows raised. "Being Ladybug sounds like a lot more pressure than being Chat Noir."

"Besides my Kwami, you're the only one I'm able to talk about this kind of thing with," she smiled at him.

There was a few moments silence.

"It helps that you're my partner. You... having you around is calming," Ladybug admitted, not looking him in the eye. "And I wouldn't have decided to be Ladybug if you hadn't been there that day with Stone Heart. Thank you for that."

He was about to say something when she abruptly took the subject off of herself.  
"Since you asked about me, it's my turn to ask about you. Why is it that you're such a goofball all the time?"

Chat Noir smirked. "This cat suit is what gives me the freedom to do or say what I want. It opened the door that's always been closed to me."  
"Oh..." she whispered, examining Chat Noir's face. Obviously she couldn't ask about it, despite her desire to. She never seriously thought about why Chat acted the way he did, and now that she knew...

"Do you think we'd ever have been friends if it weren't for our Miraculous?" he wondered aloud, his focus onto something in the distance.

Ladybug shook her head. "I'd like to think that we would be. You're one of my best friends, after all."

Chat turned to her with a crooked grin on his face, the wind blowing his thick blond locks around his face. He held out his fist for her.

"Best friends, then?"

Ladybug smiled back, giving him a fist bump.

"Best friends."

xxx

The next day during lunch, Marinette and her friends were treated to a meal made by Alya's mom at the Grand Paris Hotel, to thank Marinette for such a wonderful job with the jacket.

"Your mom's cooking is amazing!" Adrien told Alya, his eyes closed as he savored his food.  
"I'm surprised you haven't had it before," said Alya with a laugh. "Next time Nino comes over to our house for dinner, I'll ask him to invite you."  
"Thanks!"

Marinette was sitting on Adrien's left, Luka on the other side of her. "Oh yeah, I brought you something," Adrien heard her say, but she wasn't speaking to him.

She handed him a bag with the bakery's logo. "I brought some macarons for you."

"Aw, thank you, Marinette. Would you like to share them with me?" he offered as he opened the bag.  
"Sure," she took out two, one pink and one blue. "This one matches your eyes."

Adrien made a disgusted face and brought his fork back to his plate.

"In that case, all of these macarons should be yours. They compliment your personality."

Adrien had heard enough, and knew his self control wouldn't last if he continued to sit there and listen. He pushed his plate away from him and stood up from the table. It caught the attention of everyone at the table, including Luka, whose gaze focused on the pink and green bracelet Adrien wore on his wrist... "I have something I have to do before class starts. Thank you for the food," Adrien said, wiping his mouth before turning and walking away.

Luka looked over at Marinette's bracelet and back at Adrien's before he was out of sight. Then he turned his attention to Marinette, who seemed to feel hurt?

Alya and Nino exchanged worried glances momentarily before focusing back on Marinette and Luka. They tried a little too hard to brush off Adrien's departure, asking about their most recent date.

After Marinette and Luka left holding hands, Alya looked after them with a serious expression on her face.

"Nino, this is so complicated," she rubbed her temples. "Adrien's clearly hurting, but Marinette seems happy with Luka. I want her to be happy, but is Luka really long-term?"

"I know how you feel. I care about Marinette, but I can't stand seeing Adrien like this. He tries to pretend he's okay seeing them together, but I can see it in his eyes that he's not. I'm worried he might be a ticking time bomb," Nino's eyes suddenly went wide with horror. "He still has yet to get akumatized, you don't think..."

Alya shook her head vigorously. "No, don't go there! I don't think it'll come to that." She rested her head on her hand and played around with the remaining food on her plate. "Do you think Adrien and Marinette will be okay?"

Nino removed the fork from Alya's hand, setting it down on the plate, and then took her hand in his.

"I'm sure they will. We may just have to guide them a little to help them find their way," he said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.


	10. Chapter 10

When Marinette and Luka arrived back at school, some kids were rushing down the stairs in terror.

"What's going on?" Marinette was on full alert. She starting to run towards the school, Luka rushing after her.

In the courtyard, kids were screaming and running away, looking for cover. Unlike them, she was looking for the source of the chaos, when something came flying towards her. Marinette felt something hit her from the side, knocking her to the ground. She turned and saw Luka, looking startled.

"Are you okay?" he breathed.

"I-I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yeah," he helped her up. "We should go find some shelter though." He took her hand and started pulling her away. But she needed to get away from him so she could transform. Without thinking, she jerked her hand out from his.

"I'm going to go check and see if there's anybody in the bathroom," she turned and ran away without a second look.

Luka reached out for Marinette hoping to stop her, but pulled his hand back. He looked at his empty hand a moment, a frown on his face, before he went to look for a place to hide.

Ladybug emerged from the bathroom, and tried to figure out what was going on. While scoping out the scene, she spotted some kids screaming at something.

"We're sorry, Sofia!"  
"We didn't mean it!"

"I'm no longer Sofia!" Ladybug heard a shrill voice echo around the courtyard. "I will not be bullied by you anymore!" she blasted bolts at them, causing them to jump back with a shriek.

She noticed Adrien was among the few students who had just walked in. She spun her yo-yo to act as a shield and ran over to them, protecting them from the blasts the akuma was sending their way.

"You guys have to get out of here!" she ordered, every student but Adrien running away immediately. Ladybug realized he was still there when she turned her head back around. "That means you too, Adrien."

"Oh, right..."

She noticed he didn't seem to be himself, but there was no way she could do anything about it now. It would have to wait until after the akuma was taken care of.

"Go hide, and I'll come find you after I'm done here, alright?" she said to him.

Adrien blinked. "Okay," he obeyed, running off to find a place to transform.

Chat Noir showed up just in time to keep Ladybug from getting shot with one of the yellow lasers the akuma was shooting out.

"Thanks, Kitty!" she called to him.

"What do the lasers do?" Chat asked as he approached her, holding out his hand to help her off the ground.

"The akuma's retaliating after some of her classmates bullied her, so she wants to punish them. From what I can see, blue makes the victim feel depressed so they stop whatever they're doing and cry. Red makes them angry, that one's particularly bad because the victim of the laser will go find someone to yell at, which causes them to be affected too. I don't know about the yellow laser though, she keeps shooting that one specifically at me, so it can't be good," she explained.

Chat knelt down beside her, ducking behind one of the stairways. "Got it. Any idea where the akuma is?"

She observed the girl, who wore a brightly colored - but still on the plain side - outfit. What drew Ladybug's attention most was the massive bow in her hair.

"I think it's the bow, but I'm not completely sure."

Chat grunted as he got to his feet. "We'll need a distraction."

Ladybug nodded, and shouted "Lucky Charm!"  
A red magazine with black spots fell into her hands.

"Why a magazine?" she wondered, looking around. "Ah," she said as she realized what she needed to do. "Chat Noir, take this," she said, handing the magazine. "Use it to shield yourself. You'll have to get the bow off of her and release the akuma. I'll distract her."

"Sure thing, m'lady," he gave her a nod and turned his attention back on the akuma victim whose name he still had yet to learn.

Ladybug used her yo-yo to help shield her from direct attacks, however these lasers were reflective, and would bounce off the nearest surroundings, leaving Ladybug exposed from the sides and behind. This turned out not to be a problem, Chat Noir was able to remove the bow with only a couple of lasers needing to be blocked by the magazine, and no harm done to Ladybug.

After purifying the akuma and letting the girl know what happened to her, Ladybug spotted Luka among some of the students that were emerging from their hiding places.

Ladybug, followed by Chat Noir, walked up to them. "Are you all alright?" she asked the kids. Her eyes were focused on Luka, and her smile widened slightly. Chat Noir caught the change in her tone of voice as well. Chat Noir crossed his arms and glanced away.

"Uhh, we're all fine, thank you Ladybug and Chat Noir." Luka looked back and forth between Ladybug and Chat Noir a couple of times before giving Ladybug his attention. He smiled, but something about these two seemed not only familiar, but off to him.

"That's good," she looked back at Chat Noir. "I don't have much time left, and I promised I'd speak to Adrien Agreste briefly before I left. See you soon, Kitty!" she waved and jogged off to find him.

Chat Noir darted into the bathroom to detransform, and rushed back out. He heard Ladybug call his name.

"Oh, hi Ladybug. Everything taken care of?"

"Everything's fine," she answered. "But it doesn't seem like everything's fine with you, are you okay? You were so lost in thought earlier."

"Yeah, everything's fine. It's just about this girl, it's nothing serious," he sounded defeated.

"A girl?" Ladybug's mouth popped open.

Adrien shrugged. "Like I said, it's nothing serious. But thanks for coming back to check on me," he gave her a crooked smile briefly before his frown reappeared. Her earrings began beeping. "You should go, you're going to transform back soon."

"Right. Well, I hope things work out for you," Ladybug gave him a little wave before leaving Adrien alone with his thoughts.

Luka went into the empty bathroom and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.  
"They couldn't be... could they?"

* * *

 **I just felt like breaking the mold a bit tonight where Adrien lets Ladybug in on his problem just a little and Chat Noir uses Ladybug's Lucky Charm for once, not to mention her being the distraction again.**

 **As always, please leave a comment! I've been getting less of them and hope I'm not boring any of you. xD**

 **To come, more Lukanette fluff, jealous!adrien that can't handle it anymore, another akuma, and more!**


	11. Chapter 11

The sun was beginning to set. Luka brought Marinette to the Pont des Arts bridge so they could overlook the Seine after a long day.

Luka tapped on the railing of the bridge with his thumb nervously.

"Is everything alright?" she asked him after a couple of minutes.

He turned Marinette so she would face him. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just have something to ask you."

She looked into his aqua eyes a moment, trying to see if she could figure out whatever it was that seemed to be troubling him.

"I know we've gone out a couple of times and have spent a lot of time together, but..." he ruffled his hair with his hand and exhaled. "I want it to be clear for both of our sake and not just assume what our relationship is."

Marinette looked at him, confused as to where he was going with this.

"What I'm trying to say is...would you be my girlfriend, Marinette?"

Her mouth popped open in shock. Every second Marinette went without saying a word, felt like an eternity to Luka as he waited for her to respond.

"Y-Yes," she said after a few moments. She turned to the side, looking over at the water. Her face was flushed with embarrassment.

Luka's frown quickly changed to a grin. "Yes?"

Marinette nodded, turning back to him with a smile of her own.

He laughed and pulled her into a hug. "You've just made me so happy, Marinette."

She wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face in his chest. 

**3 weeks later**

"Hey Rose, Juleka, want to play a game of volleyball?" Marinette ran up in her summer apparel to her friends who were sunbathing along the banks of the Seine.

"Sure, Marinette! Is Luka joining us?" Rose looked around for him, shielding her eyes with her hand from the sun.

"He'll be back in a minute, he went to go get a net and volleyball," she said, putting on a pair of sunglasses.

"You and Luka are so cute together!" Rose squealed. "I just thought you'd end up with Adrien," she added on.

"Ahh," Marinette looked away, uncomfortable. "We're just friends, Rose. Best friends, actually."

Juleka and Rose spared a glance at each other.

"It's probably better this way, anyway. And I'm happy with Luka. We get along really well, we have several things in common, and we have a lot of fun together..."

"But-" Juleka started, her brother came running up then, interrupting her.

"Got it!" he shouted, the net and ball in his arms. "Who serves first?"

They spent the morning and early afternoon in the sun, playing volleyball in the sand. Marinette and Luka, as much as they tried, weren't in sync with each other like Juleka and Rose were, and lost 4 of 5 games that they played, due to them crashing into each other, stumbling over one another, and in a couple of cases, watching the ball fly overhead expecting the other to get it, only for it to crash into the sand.  
Juleka and Rose gave each other a high-five after their victory, and Luka and Marinette just lied in the grainy sand, exhausted.

"Congrats, Sis," Luka huffed. "You and Rose sure can play."

Juleka smiled. "And don't you forget it. Want a rematch?"

Marinette and Luka groaned. "Not today," they replied together. Rose and Juleka giggled due to their success.

"Lunchtime," Anarka called them in. "I thought you all could use some grub after all that playin'!"

"Thanks Mom," Juleka took the basket of food from her mother and set it over on the nearby picnic table.

"Any time! I see Marinette is with you all today," she pointed out, looking over and Marinette and Luka laughing.

"Yeah, she and Luka are dating now."

Anarka's eyebrows raised. "Are they, now?!" she let out a hearty chuckle. "That's music to my ears! I gave them a little nudge, you know," she winked at her daughter.

"Mom," Juleka said, quietly shocked. "You didn't."

"Aye, I did! Marinette seemed to be having some boy trouble, and I wanted to help her see that there are other fish in the sea!" Anarka walked off chuckling to herself.

Juleka sighed and shook her head. She walked back over to Rose.

"Everything okay?" the little blond wondered.

"Yeah," she glanced over at Luka and Marinette who were too distracted standing in the shallow water of the Seine, laughing and splashing each other, to pay them any attention. "My mom told me she helped get Luka and Marinette together."

"Really?!" Rose covered her mouth in surprise. "But... why?"

"She said she overheard Marinette talking about Adrien. I guess she was upset because he didn't show up to our concert that day."

Rose nodded. "Poor Marinette. Things always seemed to go wrong with them. Like when we tried to help her ask out Adrien! It doesn't seem like Luka and Marinette have those problems," she said happily. The girls looked back at their friends again. "Except..." Rose's tone had shifted.

"Rose?"

"There's just something about Marinette and Adrien... I can't really describe it. Maybe it's just because I'm a hopeless romantic, but..." she balled her hands up and held them over her chest. "It feels like they should be together. Have you noticed Adrien hasn't been very happy now that Marinette's with Luka?"

Juleka grunted with approval with everything she said.

"It's such a sticky situation," Rose said, "You want everyone involved to be happy, but no matter if Marinette's with Luka, or Adrien, or neither, they all can't be happy... can they?"

Juleka shook her head slowly and shrugged. She rested her hands on Rose's shoulders as they watched them enjoy a few more moments of their time together before interrupting to call them over for lunch.

Luka brought Marinette home later that afternoon. She was partially soaked, her hair out of her pigtails and slightly wavy from being wet.

"The beachy look is a good look on you," Luka complimented her, brushing some of her hair behind her ear.

"Too bad I can't look like this all the time, then," she laughed. "It was nice getting some sun and fresh air. Thank you for inviting me along. I know that was the time you set aside especially to spend with Juleka and Rose."

"I didn't think they'd mind, considering you're friends. They always spoke so highly of you, which made me feel like I sort of already knew you before we even met. So when I finally met you, you certainly didn't let me down. You were even more wonderful than I thought already."

"Luka," Marinette giggled and gave him a gentle push, her face now scarlet.

He reached out and held her face in the palm of his hand. Marinette stood up on her tip toes and kissed him.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Adrien stood on the sidewalk a few feet away, his eyes wide with pain and sadness. He had wanted to stop by and see if Marinette was home. He didn't expect to see the scene before him at all. Plagg had stuck his head out and saw the whole thing, too.

"...Adrien?" his Kwami whispered.

Adrien swallowed hard, and shoved his hands in his pockets. He turned around and walked away without a word.

* * *

 **I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter! I decided after Zombizou yesterday to hold off on releasing a new chapter because my motivation to write disappeared.**

 **Zombizou and the feels...**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, let me know what you think! Thank you for all of you that leave me comments, they really brighten my day!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chat Noir was sulking on top of a random building in Paris. He was trying oh so hard to think positively, but seeing the girl he loved with someone else was taking its toll. He knew if he wanted to remain in her life, he'd have to find a way to live with the way things were. Because there was no way he could lose Marinette. That wasn't an option. Even if it meant they were only ever friends.

He decided to run around the city a bit, to clear his mind and distract himself a little, when he saw a car driving a little too fast down the street. As if by instinct, he knew someone was there, his eyes automatically drifted to a girl walking across the street.

Chat swung down as quickly as he could off a building, down his baton, and crashed into the girl, knocking her back to the sidewalk.

"Marinette?" he hadn't paid attention to the identity of the girl until she was lying on the concrete, in his arms.

"Chat Noir," she breathed with relief. "Thank you for saving me from that car."

"Of course," he got to his feet and pulled her to hers. "You seem distracted. Is everything okay?"

She smiled and gave him a nod. "I'm fine."

Chat raised an eyebrow. "Does it have something to do with that guy you told me about?" his tone was teasing on the surface, but there was a level of pain behind it that Marinette didn't hear.

"Him? Oh. No," she gave him a sad smile. "He... doesn't see me in that way."

Chat's head tilted to the side. Wasn't she talking about Luka at the time? It didn't make sense. "Aren't you seeing that - that... blue-haired guy?"

Marinette laughed once at his expression. "I am, but Luka isn't the guy I was talking about."

"Oh." He was confused, but he knew better than to ask who she was talking about.

"There's been something I've been meaning to ask you," she said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"What's up?"

"That day in front of the school... I saw you talking to Luka, and..." she let out a sigh. "What were you two talking about?"

Chat opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it as he decided to think over what he was going to say carefully.

"I thought he was the guy you told me about, because after our conversation, I saw you with him one day while I was patrolling, so..." he looked awkwardly away, scratching the back of his neck. "I just told him he better be good to you, or he'd have me to answer to."

"Chat Noir!" Marinette scolded, though she was almost laughing at the same time. "You didn't!"

He bowed. "A knight's job is to take care of his Princess, Marinette," he stood up straight with a wink. "And speaking of," he got his baton out. "I'm taking you home. I want to make sure you get home safely after what just happened," he held out his hand for hers. She glanced down at it a moment and smiled with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Okay knight, take me home," she took his hand and before she could count to two, he had already whisked her away, onto the rooftops.

Within moments, she was safely on her balcony. Chat Noir was perched on the railing.

"Thank you again for saving me, and thank you for bringing me home."

"Always," he said, then added in a serious and stern tone, "But please be more careful next time."

"Sorry," she whispered, seeing the anxiety on his face. "I promise, I'll pay more attention to my surroundings."

"Also...," he began uncomfortably. "Luka seems like a nice guy. If he makes you happy, then I'm happy you found him." Chat gave a stern nod. "Anyway, I'll see you around," and he was off. Marinette watched after him a moment and sighed.

"Chat Noir seems to really care about you, Marinette," Tikki pointed out.

Marinette looked away from her Kwami, her expression serious. After a few moments, she turned and sat in one of her lounge chairs and leaned her head back. Her left hand played around with the beads on her bracelet, her right held the Jagged Stone guitar pick Luka had given her the day they met, and her eyes stared, fixated on the spot Chat Noir had just been a minute ago.

She groaned.

"What's wrong, Marinette?"

Marinette held her head in her hands. "I'm terrible. Like, so terrible, because Adrien, and Luka... and... and..."

"Breathe, Marinette," her Kwami reminded her. "And?"

"And Chat Noir..." her hand covered her mouth the moment she spoke his name.

Tikki looked at her curiously.

"I know I shouldn't like him," she began, her words starting to pour out of her like water out of a damaged dam. "I always kept myself from ever thinking that way about him, because we're superheroes. I'm not supposed to know who he is, he's not supposed to know who I am. Our job is to keep the city safe, and part of that is keeping our identities a secret. So how could we ever be together if we can't even be honest with each other about who we are? And of course there's always been Adrien and then now there's Luka and..." she sucked in a big breath of air.

After slowly letting it out, the exercise calming her, "It's just, I don't know, I guess I'm confused? Adrien and I have been closer lately, it's more natural and easy now spending time with him and we get along really well and have a lot in common. I still have feelings for him, but it's different now. A good different.

Luka's really sweet and fun to be around, we have a lot in common, too. He seems to know what I'm feeling and what I want without needing to say anything. And then Chat Noir..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, I don't know much about him, of course, but I do know that he cares about me as Ladybug and as Marinette, he cares so much about others and the city that he risks so much to protect it, and when he gets controlled by an akuma or is somehow in harms way, I'm finding it harder and harder to just take a deep breath and get the job done to bring him back to normal. It hurts me every time he's lost to me, even if it's only for awhile," she glanced over at her Kwami, who was listening to her entire rant attentively.

"I know it sounds like a huge mess right now, with all these guys, but based off of what you just told me, I know everything's going to work out just fine," Tikki said reassuringly, flying up to Marinette's face to nuzzle her.

Marinette smiled and giggled lightly. "How do you know?"

"A couple of secrets that you still have yet to learn about. One you'll find out on your own some day, and the other I'll tell you about when that day comes."

"You promise?"

Tikki giggled. "I promise." 

* * *

**I just had to include Marichat, and I thought this would be extremely important story-wise.**

 **Also feeling a bit under the weather and didn't proofread this. xD Will probably do so later, but I'm so anxious for you all to read it and had to post it!**

 **As always, let me know what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

Luka had arrived at school that morning and spotted his girlfriend chatting with her friends by the stairs that lead up to their classroom. As he started to walk up towards her, he noticed Adrien Agreste was among them. The way he was looking at Marinette didn't go unnoticed by Luka. The look in Adrien's eyes, filled with such intensity and affection, as he watched her speak... He had glanced over at Marinette to see if she noticed.

Clearly she didn't see it, she hadn't reacted in any way. But then again, he was particularly perceptive. Maybe he was the only one that could see how Adrien looked at her.

He started watching Adrien and Marinette's interactions for the remainder of the day. Juleka and Rose had briefed him about Marinette's crush on Adrien. He knew her crush on him always made it difficult for her to speak to him, but from the looks of things now, that no longer seemed to be a problem for her.

Luka knew she liked him, especially since they became an official couple, but she also seemed to still have feelings for Adrien. And then there was Chat Noir.

He suspected Marinette was Ladybug and Adrien was Chat Noir. If they really were them, then he was getting himself deeper and deeper into a relationship that had absolutely no chance. Everybody in Paris saw their interviews and civilian footage of the two superheroes. Although Ladybug denied feelings for Chat Noir and tiptoed around questions she'd be asked about them, it was pretty clear that she cared deeply for him in a way that seemed like more than just partners, or even friends. Parisians were impatiently waiting for the day their beloved heroes would finally be together, he heard talk about it all the time.

Luka recalled all the times Marinette and Adrien would sneak away suddenly when an akuma would appear since he had known them, or that day Marinette pulled her hand away from him when an akuma was attacking the school, running away from him instead of going with him to find a place to hide. And how Chat Noir confronted him one morning before school to ask about his feelings for Marinette, sounding very familiar and protective of her. How would a superhero know Marinette so well that he'd feel the need to talk to the guy she was dating?

Luka let out a long sigh, and then groaned. Abruptly, he got up from his bed, yanked his jacket off the corner of his desk chair, put on his jacket, and left his room.

"I'm going out for a bit," he announced to his mother and sister before leaving the boat. 

* * *

"Adrien!" Marinette greeted as she opened her front door. "Glad you're here. I have a surprise for you."

Adrien walked in, shutting the door behind him. "A surprise?"

"Yeah, I've noticed you've been feeling kind of down lately, so I thought I'd do something to help cheer you up a bit," she patted the spot on the couch next to her as she sat down.

Wordlessly, Adrien joined her. She turned her torso around, reaching for something on the table behind her.

She held a DVD in her hands, with a very familiar face on the cover.

"Mom," his small smile suddenly breaking into a grin. He took the DVD from Marinette and looked it over. "You found it?"

"We never got around to watching the film that day, and I felt bad about you missing it, so I've been looking around for a copy of it."

Adrien looked up from the DVD cover at Marinette, his eyes gleaming. "Thank you, Marinette," he breathed. He wasn't even going to mention that his father had already shown it to him, because not only has he been longing to watch it again to see his mother, he didn't want to take away anything from Marinette's kind gesture.

As they watched, Adrien couldn't help but glance over at Marinette. She had gotten really invested in the movie, and he loved watching her expression change when a scene would catch her off guard or touch her heart. Marinette was so invested, in fact, that she hadn't noticed a knock on her front door. Adrien reached over for the remote to pause it.

"Somebody's at the door," he said with a shrug of his shoulder when she gave him a confused look.

Marinette nodded and answered the door.

"Luka," she smiled, gesturing for him to come in. "What are you doing here?"

He stepped into the room. "I'm here to see my girlfriend, of course. Sorry I didn't call first. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Adrien cleared his throat, catching Luka's attention. "Oh, Adrien's here. And you're in the middle of watching a movie," his eyes darted to the frozen picture on the screen. "I definitely should've called first."

"Oh, no, that's okay!" Marinette pulled him to the couch to join them. "It's almost over. We're watching Solitude, Adrien's mom starred in it."

Adrien shot Luka a smirk. "It's a difficult movie to track down, but Marinette knew how much I wanted to see it and managed to find a copy." His tone sounded almost taunting.

Luka stood silently for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching at Adrien's words, then said, "Mind if I watch the rest with you, then?" as he plopped himself down between Adrien and Marinette. He wrapped his arm around Marinette and gently pulled her towards him.

Adrien glared at him before reaching for the remote and pressing play.

Neither boy saw what remained of the film, they were too busy shooting looks at each other, but Marinette hadn't noticed, her attention solely focused on the screen.

"Your mom did such a good job!" Marinette gushed at the end of the movie. "I'm really glad we finally got to watch it, that's definitely one of my favorite movies now."

Adrien smiled warmly at her momentarily before his frown appeared again while looking back at Luka.

"We need to talk," Luka said suddenly to Adrien, pointing towards the door.

Adrien pondered it a moment, before he stood up in response.

"Uhh," Marinette said, her eyes darting back and forth between the two, looking anxious. "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine," Luka said cooly, his eyes never leaving Adrien.

"Thanks for going through all the trouble it must have caused you to find that copy, Marinette," Adrien too never looked away from Luka.

They both walked out the door, though not before Luka gave her a peck on the cheek, leaving behind a very troubled-looking Marinette.

She quickly headed up to her balcony, and sure enough, she saw them walk into the park across the street.

"I don't like that you're spending so much time with my girlfriend," said Luka bluntly.

Adrien's brows furrowed. "But we're just friends, Luka."

He shook his head in response. "That's not how you feel about her though, is it? I've seen the way you've been looking at her. Marinette may not have noticed it, but I have."

Adrien sighed. "So what is it that you want me to do?"

"Give her some space."

He laughed once. "You want me to stay away from her?"

Luka just stood there, his jaw clenched.

Adrien shook his head. "Unless she asks me to stay away from her, I can't do that." After a moment, Adrien smirked, and added, "Nothing that you say or do will make me give up on Marinette."

Luka watched Adrien walk away, and his anger and jealousy began rising within him.

Marinette witnessed Adrien walking out of the park, and by his posture, he looked irritated at best. While looking for Luka, that's when she saw it, a shimmering purple butterfly, fluttering past her and towards the direction of the boys. 

* * *

**This chapter was particularly difficult given how little we know canonically of Luka and the fact we really haven't seen Adrien or Chat Noir in a position like this to know just how he'd react.**

 **As always, let me know what you thought of this chapter! c:**


	14. Chapter 14

"No, no, no!" Marinette muttered to herself, running for the trap door leading into her room. "Tikki!" she exclaimed, "Luka or Adrien's about to get akumatized!"

"Oh no!" her little eyes widened in horror.

"Tikki, spots on!"

She rushed back out onto her balcony and witnessed the akuma taking over Luka.

"No..." she mumbled, covering her mouth. She watched him turn into a grotesque half-man, half-beast creature, covered in fur. He almost resembled a werewolf, but he lacked the ears, snout, and tail.

"AAAADRIEEEEN," Luka's bellowing voice was unrecognizable. It was way too deep and much, much too loud. It caused Ladybug to feel a chill run down her spine.

Luka started bounding towards Adrien, who was staring down the sidewalk in horror in response to his name being called, completely frozen in place as he saw what wa approaching him. Before he reached Adrien, he looked over at someone walking by. Adrien noticed that Luka's intense gaze caused the man to become one of his minions, overcome with envy and anger.

He started towards Adrien again, when Ladybug came swooping in to the rescue, dropping down between Luka and Adrien. "Luka!"

"I'm not Luka anymore, I'm Envicious!" he growled.

She looked back at Adrien, her yo-yo swinging in front of her defensively. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't let him look into your eyes long enough to hypnotize you," he warned her.

She glanced at Envicious momentarily, his familiar blue eyes were gone and replaced with glowing green eyes. She sighed. "Let's get you somewhere safe, okay?"

He nodded.

Ladybug needed a distraction to get Adrien out of there, but her options were limited.  
Then suddenly, an idea struck her. She smiled to herself.

"The girl on the balcony!" she pointed, drawing Envicious's attention towards her balcony. She smirked, grabbed Adrien, and swung away before he could turn back around.

When they had reached a few blocks away, Ladybug took Adrien off of the rooftops and landed back onto the ground.

"Another akuma's after you?" she teased, though she looked a little too unsettled to be amused.

Adrien smiled sheepishly.

"So what happened?" she asked, glancing around anxiously for any signs of Envicious.

He sighed, looking down at his feet. "It's my fault he's akumatized. I got him upset. We got into an argument..."

Ladybug put her hand on his shoulder. "Could you tell me what it was about? It might help me figure out what to do."

Adrien looked slightly uncomfortable. "It's about his girlfriend. He asked me to stay away from her and I refused to. She's one of my best friends and... and I could never abandon her like that. I'm just sorry our problem is causing you so much trouble, Ladybug."

"...What?" she said softly, her brows furrowing. "He really asked you to stay away from her?"

He nodded, his eyes filled with sadness. "Anyway, what are you going to do?"

"I need to make sure you're somewhere safe. Hopefully Chat Noir gets here quickly so we can take care of it before things get out of hand and you get hurt. That kitty never seems to be here when you're in trouble, it seems," she mumbled that last bit, glancing around anxiously again, this time she was looking for her pun-loving partner.

Adrien laughed nervously. "Bad luck, I guess."

She brought him to the Grand Paris Hotel. It was close enough that she could protect him if Envicious managed to escape her. After making sure he was secure there, she left him alone in the hotel's lounge, with the promise that she'd bring everything back to normal.

He ran into one of the closets and transformed into Chat Noir, not wasting another second.  
When he got outside, he found Ladybug standing in the middle of the street. She was watching him draw closer.

"M'lady," he greeted urgently, appearing by her side.

"Chat Noir!" she breathed in relief. "He's after Adrien, I brought him to the hotel to hide. We can't let Envicious get to him!"

"Trust me, he won't," Chat gave her a reassuring smile and a wink.

"You-!" Envicious boomed when he saw Chat Noir's close proximity to Ladybug, "Stay away from her!" he lunged towards Chat Noir, and knocked him, full-force against the building across the street.

"No!" Ladybug screamed, automatically running to him. "Are you okay, Kitty?" she cradled his head in her hands, her hand brushing his cheek gingerly.

"Y-Yeah, I'm pawsitively purrfect," he groaned as Ladybug helped him get to his feet. He took a moment to catch his breath. "Where's the akuma?"

Ladybug looked over towards Envicious, her eyes trying not to meet his, when she spotted it.

"There, the necklace he's wearing," she pointed. "That's where it is."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," her tone somber. _Because I gave it to him._

Without warning, Chat Noir charged at the akuma, his baton aiming at him. He stopped Chat Noir in his tracks, grabbing his baton and yanking him forward.

"I'm going to make you feel everything that you've made me feel!"

Chat tried to worm his way out from Envicious's grasp, but he couldn't do it, and he couldn't avoid his glowing neon-green eyes.

Ladybug watched him yet again being taken from her by an akuma. What made it worse was it was her boyfriend hurting him... over her. The guilt and pain began to overwhelm her.

She heard Chat Noir chuckle and took a step back with fear. "You thought you'd turn me into one of your envious minions, right? Turn me into a green-eyed monster like you? Didn't know this cat is already riddled with jealousy, though," he smirked, breaking himself free from a surprised Envicious.

Her eyes lit up when she saw he wasn't lost to her.  
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug cried, using the few moments of distraction to her advantage.

A small boombox landed in her hands. She looked at it, then at Envicious. Knowing what to do, but not what to expect, she pressed play.

The guitar song Luka had given to Marinette echoed around the street, causing Envicious to whimper and drop to his knees. Chat Noir took this opportunity to rip the necklace from his neck and throw it to the ground, breaking it into pieces.

The dark akuma flew out and Ladybug wasted no time to get this akuma cleansed.

Ladybug and Chat Noir knelt in front of Luka, who was holding his head as he became himself again.

"Luka?" Chat Noir said gently. The first thing he saw was Ladybug and Chat Noir looking at him with concern. It was always Marinette and Adrien working together with such perfect sync to stop and comfort an akuma victim. The thought made him sigh, because no matter what he said or did, he could never have what Adrien did with her.

"I became an akuma, didn't I?" he asked, sounding defeated.

"It's okay, we took care of it. Don't worry," Ladybug assured him, picking up his now intact necklace and handed it back to him. "And don't be so hard on yourself, it happens to even the nicest of people."

"Thanks Ladybug," he took her hand, only for a moment, before letting her go. Chat Noir held out his hand for her to help her up and she took it without a second thought.

"Any time. I have to go now though," she held her hand to her ear, "see you, Kitty!"

Chat Noir watched her until she was out of sight. "I'm heading off as well. Later, Luka," he said, not giving Luka another glance before he was left alone in the street.

Adrien came back a minute later. "Luka! Wait up!" he called as he ran up to him. "I'm sorry."

Luka turned around. "No, I'm the one that should be sorry, Adrien. I should never have told you to stay away from her, that was wrong of me, and I'm sure Marinette wouldn't have liked hearing me say it. I just..." Luka turned away from him, the necklace Marinette had given him in his fist. "I realized that as much as I want to hold onto her, I'm not going to be the one she chooses in the end. I didn't know how to handle that, and I'm really sorry."

"What are you talking about? How do you know who she's going to choose in the end?" Adrien raised an eyebrow.

Luka gave him a crooked smile and patted him on the shoulder. "I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm exceptionally perceptive and can read feelings. I know who's in her heart."

Adrien blinked, looking befuddled. Luka chuckled at his expression. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure it all out later. I'd tell you about it now, but I don't think Marinette would appreciate that very much. She doesn't even know I know anything," he whispered the last line. Then he held his hand out in a fist.

"Friends?" Luka offered.

Adrien looked down at his fist with a smile and gave him a fist bump. "Friends."


	15. Chapter 15

Luka went back to the Dupain-Cheng's. He paced in front of their door nervously a few times as he figured out what he was going to say.

He exhaled and rapped on the door. He stuffed his hand in his pocket and rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Hey Luka," Marinette greeted pleasantly, motioning for him to come in.

"Hey Marinette," he took a few steps in. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh," she said, shutting the door behind him. "What's up?"

He leaned onto the back of the couch, holding his hands out for hers. She closed the distance between them and took his hands.

"This is really hard for me to say," he began, clearing his throat. "Because I really, really like you, Marinette..." his eyes looked pained as he gazed down at the floor.

She knew just where he was going with this, and her face fell.

"I know that you like me. I do, but... I know that I'm not the only one you have feelings for. I never have been. Somebody else has your heart, and that's okay. I just want to do what's best for you, and us continuing this," he squeezed her hands gently, "It isn't what's best for you. Or what's best for me."

Marinette looked away, feeling guilty. "You're right, there is someone and I thought that being with you, I could move on but I guess I never really did. I'm so sorry, Luka."

Luka gave her a warm smile. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Marinette. I kind of already knew what I was getting into. I selfishly was hoping things could change, so I asked you to be my girlfriend. I know now that I'm only standing in your way, and I just couldn't do that to you."

"We can still be friends though, right?" she asked.

He smiled down at her and patted the top of her head. "I'd be hurt if we couldn't."

She grinned and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Anyway, I should probably go. I'll see you at school tomorrow," he let go of Marinette and began heading for the door.

"See you at school," she waved before shutting the door behind him. She let out a sigh, leaning against the door.

"How do you feel, Marinette?" Tikki poked her head out of Marinette's purse.

She took a moment. "I'd be lying if I said I was fine, but..." she put her hand over her heart. "He was right. My feelings for Adrien and Chat Noir are still there, and Luka knows about them. I couldn't ask him to stay with me. I'd feel like I was using him. I really do like him, though..."

Tikki flew out of Marinette's purse and gave her a Kwami hug. "Everything will seem be better after a few days, I promise!"

Marinette gave pet her once with her finger and headed to her room. She sat at her computer chair and stared at her phone. If she didn't tell Alya about what happened, she knew she'd be upset tomorrow when she found out.

Sighing, Marinette picked up her phone and dialed her best friend.

 _"Hey girl!"_

"Hey," she greeted back, her tone sounding too forced.

 _"Okay, what's wrong? And don't tell me 'nothing', because I know you."_

"Luka and I broke up," she blurted out.

There was silence on Alya's end for several seconds before she turned on the video option. Her face appeared on Marinette's phone. _"Oh M, I'm so sorry, are you okay? What happened?"_

Marinette turned on the video option so her best friend could see her. "Luka knows I still have feelings for Adrien. He thinks it's better for us both in the long run to end things now, and I have to agree. I'll be okay, it just hurts right now, that's all," she gave her friend a small smile.

 _"Uhh,"_ Marinette heard Nino's voice say in the background.

"Nino's there?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Alya shot Nino a look, who was off-screen. _"I'm sorry, I should've said something."_

"No, it's okay. Everyone's going to find out about it tomorrow, anyway. I thought I better tell you though so you're not upset I left you out."

 _"That's true, thanks for thinking of me,"_ her best friend winked. _"If you need me, I'm just a text away."_

"I know, thanks Alya," Marinette waved and hung up the phone.

Adrien was in his room, surprisingly so, shooting some hoops.  
His phone's ringtone went off briefly, indicating he had a text.

"It's Nino," Plagg informed him. Then it went off again. And again. "Must be something important."

Adrien tucked the basketball under his arm, wiped his forehead with his sleeve, and went to his phone.

 **Nino [17:45]:** BREAKING: Marinette and Luka just broke up.

 **Nino [17:45]:** She seemed sad. You should reach out to her.

 **Nino [17:47]:** Though Alya said under any circumstances, do not tell her know you know about the breakup.

Adrien reread the texts a few times before he texted back.

 **Adrien [17: 50]:** Why shouldn't I let Marinette know that I know?

 **Nino [17:52]:** She says you need to let Marinette tell you about it on her own. I guess it's significant, I don't know dude. It's best to do as she says.

 **Adrien [17:53]:** Thanks. I promise I won't say anything then.

He switched over to Marinette's contact. He pondered for a moment on what he should say, staring at her contact picture. An idea struck him, and he began typing quickly.

 **Adrien [17:58]:** Hey, are you busy right now?

He impatiently drummed his fingers on his bed as he sat waiting for a reply.

 **Marinette [17:59]:** No, I'm not. What's up?

 **Adrien [17:59]:** Do you have time to go somewhere with me?

Marinette's eyebrows raised as she read Adrien's latest text.

"What is it?" Tikki asked, flying to look at the phone.

"Adrien. He's asking if I can go somewhere with him..." she looked at her phone quizzically. "What do you think it's about?"

Tikki shrugged. "Why don't you find out?"

Marinette thought it over a moment and sent a reply.

 **Marinette [18:04]:** Sure, I have time.

 **Adrien [18:05]:** Okay, I'll be right there. 

* * *

**For those disappointed she didn't end up with Luka, I'm sorry, but I've made it kind of obvious as to where I was going with this. Not to mention I'm sticking as close to canon as I can. Hopefully I didn't seriously disappoint you!**

 **I appreciate you all leaving reviews, favoriting, and following!**

 **I have some Adrienette as well as some surprises I don't know if any of you see coming, coming up! ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

"Where are we going?" Marinette asked, Adrien waving goodbye to Marinette's parents as Sabine shut the door behind them.

Adrien grinned, holding his hand out for her, his palm facing upwards. "Do you trust me?"

She looked up into his brilliant green eyes, so calming and familiar... maybe even a bit too familiar. Marinette felt a strong sense of déjà vu wash over her. The sudden feeling caused her to gasp, but so quietly that Adrien didn't hear among the noises of the city.

"Y-Yes," she blinked, taking his hand automatically.

He grinned and led the way to wherever it was he was taking her.

It took them longer to get there than she expected, but it was well worth it. He brought her to a secluded park with a grand Weeping Willow and a glorious water feature that glimmered in the dimming light. The sound of crickets and faint, yet clear orechstral music filled the air.

"I stumbled upon this park one day while I was... out," he clearly had to mentally edit what he was going to say. "I thought you'd appreciate the scenery, and although the music's not Jagged Stone, it's definitely worth listening to."

Marinette smiled and walked onto the little bridge over the water, and leaned onto the railing. Adrien followed.

"It's beautiful here," Marinette said, her tone peaceful. "But you didn't bring me here just to show me this, did you? It's because you know about me and Luka, right?"

Adrien's eyes darted away guiltily and he scratched his head. "Uhh..."

She giggled. "It's okay, Adrien. I know Nino told you. They probably asked you to take me out to cheer me up, too, right?"

"Actually no," he leaned forward onto the railing too, looking down at the water below. "I decided to ask you here on my own."

"Oh."

"Yeah. A change of scenery, some fresh air...a distraction. It always helps me when I'm feeling down," he turned to her and grinned. "If bringing you here helps you feel better, even if just a little, it was worth it."

A hint of blush crept onto her face. " I do feel a little better. Thank you."  
He nodded and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

She laughed and took his hand, and they waltzed around on the tiny bridge. He dramatically spun her around, letting his goofy side show just a little.

"I won't ask any questions, since it's none of my business," he started, breaking their silence, "but if you need to talk about it at all, just know I'll be here for you. Okay?"

Marinette brushed some of her hair behind her ears and nodded, not looking him directly in the eye. He chuckled.

When the song ended, Adrien let go of Marinette. "I should get you back home."

On their way back, he spotted Andre's ice cream cart. "Want some ice cream before you go?"

Marinette took a look at the cart, currently there were no customers around. "Sure, ice cream sounds nice."

"Ah, Marinette! It's good to see you again!" Andre greeted her enthusiastically when they approached him. "And you, I never got your name the last time you were here."

"I'm Adrien," he informed him.

"Adrien and Marinette! How lovely. I assume you would both like some ice cream?"

Adrien glanced down at Marinette with a smile. "Two cones, please!"

Andre quickly put together Adrien's cone, strawberry chocolate chip, blackberry, and blueberry, with a cherry to top it off. Then he assembled Marinette's, this time her ice cream had three scoops as opposed to the usual two.

"You've always given me two scoops, Andre, but now you're giving me three. Why is that?" she wondered, looking down at the large mostly-black scoop with much curiosity.

"That, my dear, is a good question. But it is not one I feel I should answer. Just as I wouldn't answer why I give Adrien a strawberry chocolate scoop," he winked. "If you're really that curious, I would suggest figuring out the theme of your ice cream."

"Theme?" Adrien asked, completely puzzled.

"You know that my ice cream is meant to represent one's love, yes?" he motioned between their two ice cream cones. They nodded. "And I've explained before what two of your scoops represent. That bottom scoop, I never explained. Because both of you are not ready to hear it just yet. However, the two of you standing before me now, together, tells me that you'll be ready soon."

"Oh, well... uh, thank you, Andre," Marinette thanked him awkwardly. She had no idea what he was talking about, and mentioning love around Adrien made her feel especially so.

"Anytime! See you both again soon!" Andre called after them, waving goodbye. "Paris' most famous lovebirds," he sighed to himself.

"So... do you know what he was talking about?" Marinette asked, pointing her thumb back towards Andre and his ice cream cart.

Adrien had just put a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. He shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Hmm," she hummed, examining her ice cream.

 _Peach pink like his lips and mint like his eyes_. Andre's words echoed through her head. She always thought they represented Adrien, for obvious reasons, but now this new scoop... Now that she paid attention, he was wearing a black shirt, but something told her that Andre didn't base his ice cream on something so easily changed.

Who did she knows with green eyes, pink lips, where black would be a major color that represented them?

 _Chat Noir_. The thought dawned on her. She side-glanced Adrien and began laughing nervously.

"What's so funny?" Adrien wanted to know.

"I just realized... my ice cream represents Chat Noir. But that's ridiculous, right?" she continued laughing.

Adrien stopped and took a good look at her ice cream. "Oh. It - it really does represent him, doesn't it? Ha," he stuffed a bite of his ice cream into his mouth, anxiety beginning to set in.

"Yours represents Ladybug," she said with surprise after giving his a look over.

"Does it?" he looked at it again, though he had always hoped that's who it represented, he didn't feel comfortable pointing out that fact to Marinette.

"Yeah... So, is he telling us we're supposed to end up with Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Marinette and Adrien looked into each other's eyes seriously for a moment.

"They probably have other people they spend their time with," Adrien offered, trying to brush it off. "Besides, we haven't spent much time around them for them to even notice us, right?"

"Oh, right, I've only been around Chat Noir a few times. Not enough for him to really know me or anything."

"And Ladybug's had to save me a few times as well, but I mean who doesn't she save?"

They finished their ice cream, only small talk between them about Chat Noir and Ladybug, until they reached Marinette's.

"I have to admit, I actually forgot about Luka for awhile. Thank you," she said. "It seems your plan worked."

"Of course, anytime. Remember what I said. If you need me-"

"I'll let you know," she smiled at him. "See you tomorrow."

"See you," he waved as Marinette headed in.

Adrien watched the door briefly before he walked the short distance home.

Marinette went up to her room, and sat in her computer chair, her arms and head resting on her desk.

If her ice cream represented Chat Noir, that means she's supposed to be with him, right? But then Adrien's ice cream represented Ladybug, and she's Ladybug. So does that mean she's supposed to be with both? It made no sense. Did the ice cream just represent those one loves, or actually who they were meant to end up with? Marinette began questioning again if the ice cream was really magical and had any sort of meaning or substance after all.

"Weird," is all she said aloud with a sigh, piquing Tikki's curiosity.

Adrien made it home, and headed to his room. He pulled out his phone and texted Nino about his evening, how Marinette was doing, and that she put it together right away that his impromptu outing was due to him finding out about her breakup.

Nino and Alya texted back, asking if this meant he was going to ask her out soon, but Adrien told them he was going to wait until enough time had passed for her to be comfortable moving on from Luka. He emphasized how much he didn't want to pressure her and respected her feelings, whatever they may be.

Once he was through, he set his phone down on his nightstand, and thought about the ice cream, how Marinette's represented Chat Noir. But that was weird. Did she like Chat Noir? She had agreed they didn't spend much time together, but did she really have feelings for him from those brief interactions? And his ice cream representing Ladybug, what did this mean, anyway? Sure he still had feelings for her, but they weren't nearly as overbearing as they were before. It was like their ice creams were telling them opposite things, and he didn't like it.

He groaned in frustration as he went into his bathroom to take a nice, hot shower to think things through, and to get ready for bed.

* * *

 **Wrote most of this super late, but I'm happy with it.**

 **As always, please let me know what you think of this chapter! Next chapter's the last one :o Are you ready?**


	17. Chapter 17

**A few weeks later.**

"We're not going to make it in time!" Ladybug shouted over to her partner.

Chat Noir glanced over at her anxiously. He was holding off some citizens under the control of the latest akuma victim.

She held her hands over her ears in response to hearing her Miraculous beep. "We'll have to recharge. Do you have any food for your Kwami?"

"No," he called, "he's gotten into the bad habit of eating his emergency Camembert!"

Ladybug helped Chat Noir fend off the mob of people, and they escaped as quickly as they could through the streets, desperate to find somewhere safe. She caught a glimpse down an alleyway. She took Chat Noir's hand and guided him down the alleyway with her.

"Stay there," she instructed him, ducking behind a wall. Given the alleyway was in the shadows, he could see the glow from her transformation ending. Moments later, his own ended.  
He stared at the barrier that was between them, his foot tapping nervously as he waited for her to hand him some food.

The second he saw movement, his left hand automatically reached out to grab what she held in the palm of her hand before his mind registered what he was seeing, causing him to freeze as he grasped the lightly colored macaron.

On the wrist of her right hand was the blue and yellow lucky charm bracelet he had made for Marinette for her 14th birthday. There was no mistaking it. Then he glanced at his left hand that he had reached out, looking at his own lucky charm bracelet. Did she see it?

Adrien brought the macaron to Plagg, but her hand remained still, despite no longer holding anything out for him.

Marinette's heart skipped a beat or two when she recognized her old lucky charm bracelet on his wrist. She had given that to Adrien. He had made a point about how important that charm was to him on numerous occasions. And there it was, on Chat Noir's wrist.

Her mind tried to form the words _Adrien is Chat Noir_ but they just wouldn't register.

Slowly, she emerged out from behind the barrier, her eyes confirming that Adrien was indeed the boy that ran down the alleyway with her. They simply stared at each other, their expressions shifting from pure shock into something softer, warmer. A smile began to form on both of their lips when a noise from behind Adrien broke them out of there reverie.

The akuma victim, while looking for Ladybug and Chat Noir, spotted them in the alleyway. He began blasting away, hoping to get them under his control.

Adrien pushed Marinette out of the way from one of his blasts, knocking her to the ground. After a moment's glance into each other's eyes, he got to his feet quickly, helping her up, and took her hand, leading her out of the alleyway and away from the akuma.

This time, Adrien found a secluded place for them to transform.

"We're ready," Tikki announced. Both Kwami's floated in front of their Chosens.

Marinette and Adrien, still holding hands, smiled at each other.

"Plagg, claws out!"  
"Tikki, spots on!"

They transformed in sync, and once over, Ladybug covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

Chat Noir laughed. "What?"

Ladybug grinned harder behind her hands. "I'll tell you later. Akuma first," she took the Lucky Charm item and her yo-yo, and headed back to find the akuma, Chat not far behind.

Upon finding the akuma, Ladybug looked around to figure out just what she was meant to do with her Lucky Charm.

"Ah," her expression brightened. "Kitty, think you could take care of him?"

"No problem, m'lady," he bowed and then launched himself off of the roof they were on top of in a dramatic fashion.

Ladybug laughed, shaking her head at his silliness.

After the akuma had been taken care of, and the victim comforted, Chat Noir and Ladybug left the scene and headed to the the spot they usually met up.

"So..." they both started at the same time upon their arrival. They laughed awkwardly.

"You first," they both said.

Chat Noir scratched the back of his neck. "I can't believe it's been you all this time," his voice full of emotion. He walked up to her and took her hands in his.

She blushed madly, a grin spreading across her face as she looked down at their hands.  
"Neither can I."

"Andre's ice cream was right after all," he said, the embarrassment becoming too much for Ladybug. She wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face in his chest to hide her blush. Chat Noir reciprocated her hug with a chuckle. "I'm just wondering though. You told me about a guy that you liked... if it isn't Luka, then... who is it?"

Ladybug wrapped her arms around him a little tighter. "You," she mumbled, too muffled for him to make out what she was saying.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't understand that."

Ladybug moved her face away from him enough so she could speak clearly. "You."

Chat Noir's heart began to race and his breath caught in his throat. "M-Me?"

She just hugged him tighter. Chat smiled. "I'd say I'm sorry that our identities were accidentally revealed, but... I'm so happy right now, I'd be lying if I did. But are you okay with it?"

Ladybug leaned back a ways so she could see his face. "I actually considered telling you once," Chat Noir eyes grew wide, "but only briefly."

"You did?"

"Yeah, back when Alya was turned into Lady Wifi. I've actually always wanted to tell you who I am, but I knew how important it was to keep our identities a secret. It was hard for me to keep it from you. Not to mention, I'm sure the secret being revealed would've been inevitable anyway. So yes, I'm very okay with it," she cupped his face in her hand. "Though I am sorry there were so many misunderstandings between us. I never wanted that."

Chat put his hand over hers. "It's okay. You did the right thing, m'lady." He kissed her forehead gently, then leaned his forehead against hers. "I'm so glad we don't have to worry about keeping secrets from each other anymore."

Ladybug giggled, pushing him away slightly. "We just have to worry about keeping it from everyone else."

Chat Noir's eyes suddenly looked troubled. Ladybug took this as being a response to her pushing him away. "I'm sorry, I was just teasing when I pushed you away-"

He looked into her eyes with a warm smile. "Don't worry, that's not it. I was just thinking about Luka."

Ladybug blinked. "Luka?"

"I think he may know our secret," he began pacing across the rooftop. Ladybug stared, dumbfounded.

"Why do you say that?"

"He said some things to me, about the two of us. But what really makes me wonder if he knows is when he was Envicious..."

Ladybug's eyes went wide as she recalled. "He told you to stay away from me, but we weren't... _us_ at the time."

"Exactly. Luka doesn't know Ladybug and Chat Noir personally, so why protect you and attack me unless he knew?"

She considered his words. "I think we're going to have to speak with him."

Luka was in his room, practicing his guitar when he heard a knock at his window. He looked over and saw Ladybug hanging upside down, waving at him.

He got up and swung the window open, letting her in. Chat Noir followed.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, what are you doing here?" he asked with surprise.

The superheroes gave each other a quick glance before Ladybug spoke.

"We have to ask you something. We uh..." she looked to Chat Noir for help.

He put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Do you happen to know our real identities?"

Luka raised his eyebrows. "Ahh," he sighed, sitting down at the edge of his bed. "You guys just found out. Yeah, I figured it out a long time ago."

Chat Noir and Ladybug stood there awkwardly. Luka got off of his bed, took a peek around, making sure his mother or sister weren't in hearing range, then added, "I couldn't help but notice my girlfriend kept running off at the worst times, and that someone else I hung around happen to do the same."

They looked very anxious down at Luka, who had sat back down on his bed. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. You guys are my friends."

Only a bit of worry was erased by his words. "That's not the only reason I'm worried. If you caught on, do you think...?" Ladybug didn't finish her sentence, but Luka could see where she was going.

"I don't think anyone else suspects anything. Part of what helped me figure it out is my ability to read your feelings for each other, and that's not something others can do," Luka assured her.

"Is that why you broke up with me? ...Because you knew?"

He got to his feet again and stood in front of her. "You two share a bond that I'll never have with you." Luka looked over Ladybug's shoulder at Chat Noir then. "The way you two work together so well to save Paris, and how deep your trust is for one another, despite not even knowing the identity of who you trusted with your life on a daily basis, is incredibly special and irreplaceable. And I knew you had feelings for each other without either of you knowing it yourselves. I knew I was in the way of that, so I decided to step back."

Ladybug's eyebrows furrowed, and she reached her hand out, "Luka, I-"

"I'm okay," he chuckled. "As long as we get to be friends, I'll be just fine."

The corner of her mouth went up. "Thank you," she whispered.

Luka returned her smile as Chat Noir threw his arm around Luka's shoulder. "I knew you were cool. Thanks, Luka."

He laughed. "You two should come visit as yourselves soon and hang out. I hear Jagged's releasing a new album soon, and he's going to be performing some of his new songs at his concerts."

Chat Noir's eyes lit up. "Really?! How come I didn't know about this?!"

Ladybug let out a laugh and dragged him away from Luka. "We can talk about it more tomorrow. We should go before someone finds us here."

"Aw," Chat whined. "But you've got a point... Alright, later then!" he said to Luka, hoisting himself out of the house boat.

Ladybug waved goodbye and followed Chat Noir out the window. Luka chuckled and went back to his guitar.

Ladybug and Chat Noir landed on the balcony near Marinette's house. The sun was beginning to go down.

"I should probably get going or my parents are going to wonder where I am," she looked over her shoulder at her balcony.

"Same. Wouldn't want my father freaking out about how I've been kidnapped again or something."

Despite both heroes needing to head home, neither moved a muscle. They were reluctant to leave, in case this all turned out to be a dream.

"I..." Ladybug trailed off, looking away from him.

Chat Noir closed the distance between them and pulled her in for a hug, taking her by surprise. "I know," he whispered.

He let go of her enough so he could see her face, but not so much that she wasn't still in his arms.  
They gazed into each other's eyes and Chat Noir slowly leaned in, reading her expression in case she seemed uncomfortable. But she wasn't uncomfortable at all. Instead, she closed her eyes as he drew nearer.

Chat Noir finally got to kiss his Lady, and be consciously aware of it. He finally knew that she was the girl that sat behind her, who he fell for unknowingly. And she was finally his.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he breathed as he let her go. "Good night, Marinette."

Ladybug beamed and gave a nod, this really felt just like a dream. "Good night, Adrien."

* * *

 **I'd love to hear what you thought of this chapter, and the fic as a whole. Also, please share with your friends! c:**

 **For more fanfic news and updates, follow me on tumblr toujoursmiraculous**


End file.
